MANILA – The arrival of Sinovac Biotech’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in the country signals the end of the year-long pandemic struggle and is a welcome development for the country’s revival from COVID-19 pandemic, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” Roque said in a virtual presser at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Sunday afternoon.
“Masayang masaya po tayo, ang buong Pilipinas po ay nagdiriwang. Patapos na po ang pandemya dahil nariyan na ang bakuna. Ang mga bakunang ‘yan ay liwanag sa napakadilim na paglalakbay natin, yugto ng ating kasaysayan,” he added.
The 600,000 doses of the vaccine from Sinovac donated by the Chinese government landed at the Villamor Airbase on a Chinese Y-20 Transporter aircraft a little past four p.m.
The arrival of the vaccines marks the start of the country’s inoculation program, according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., as the country’s first shots will be administered in several COVID-19 referral hospitals across Metro Manila today.
Meanwhile, the supposed arrival of around 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine from the Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility this noon time was postponed, according to Department of Health secretary Francisco Duque III.
“Ibinalita sa akin ni Sec. Galvez na hindi raw matutuloy ang dating ng (bakuna ng) AstraZeneca at sabi raw sa kanya ay may supply problem na inaasikaso at maaantala raw ng isang linggo,” said Duque.
The said doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines form part of the 44 million doses of vaccine from Global Alliance for Vaccines (COVAX) that will be administered to 20 percent of the Philippines’ population.
Despite having the second-highest number of infections in the region, the Philippines lags behind its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of mass COVID-19 vaccinations as it aims to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos this year./PN
