COVID-19 vaccines may not be available for commercial use in PH this year, according to Nograles.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that COVID-19 vaccines may not be available for commercial use in the Philippines this year.
According to Nograles, Filipinos can’t yet buy the COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippine market since the emergency use authorization (EUA) to be given by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) didn’t cover commercial use.
The government had so far secured millions of supplies from COVID-19 vaccine makers Sinovac, Covovax, and AstraZeneca that were expected to be delivered to the Philippines this year.
READ ALSO: Galvez Expresses Willingness To Receive First COVID-19 Vaccine To Arrive In PH
Frontline health workers, senior citizens, poor citizens, and uniformed personnel would be among the priority beneficiaries of the Philippine government’s free COVID-19 vaccines.
When asked if COVID-19 vaccines would be available in the market this year, Nograles said during a televised press briefing that FDA Director-General Eric Domingo had explained that vaccine makers applied for emergency use application in the Philippines and an EUA was actually not for commercial purposes because of the novelty of these vaccines available.
READ ALSO: Galvez: Sinovac To Get EUA For COVID-19 Vaccine Before February 20
Given the limited COVID-19 vaccine supply that would be for emergency use, Nograles explained that any acquisition would go through the national government.
According to Nograles, the private sector and local government units could forge supply deals with COVID-19 vaccine makers but under a tripartite arrangement with the national government.
Nograles also said that around 70 million Filipinos could be inoculated under the programs initiated by the national government, private sector, and local government.
READ ALSO: LGUs Can’t Procure, Roll Out COVID-19 Vaccines On Their Own, Says DOH
Meanwhile, vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr. said that an emergency use authorization for China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine would be granted before February 20, 2021.
Of the 25 million COVID-19 vaccines developed by China’s Sinovac, an initial 50,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses would be shipped to the Philippines next month and the remaining supply would be delivered in the following months.
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