Duque thanked Japan for donating AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.
On Thursday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed gratitude to Japan for donating Japan-manufactured AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Philippines.
The Japanese government donated a total of 1,124,100 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to the Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the shipment in a ceremony at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City last July 8.
“Our gratitude for Japan’s unwavering and long-standing support is endless. We are particularly grateful for the support to the Philippines through this pandemic. These vaccines are indeed a welcome addition to our arsenal, to reinforce our ongoing efforts, to respond to the ever-evolving COVID-19 threat,” Duque said during the ceremony.
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With those additional COVID-19 vaccines, Duque said that the Philippines can further expand its COVID-19 vaccination program in order to reach more vulnerable sectors of the population.
According to Duque, Japan’s gesture of solidarity reflected their common efforts of building global communities and brought them one step closer to their shared aspiration to win the fight against the coronavirus disease.
“[This will] contribute to our common goal of preventing further mutations of the virus and ending COVID-19 globally. Truly, this gesture of solidarity by Japan reflects our common efforts of building global communities and brings us one step closer to our shared aspiration to win this fight against COVID-19. As it has been said, no one is safe until everyone is safe. Indeed, we look forward to defeating this virus together,” Duque said.
Duque also said that those vaccines will be distributed to areas experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases.
Some of the areas experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, according to Duque, include Iloilo City, Davao City, Cagayan De Oro, and the Zamboanga area.
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