THE National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, urged vaccination centers to prioritize available Sinovac vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) for second dose inoculations in the next two weeks because the next shipment would be delayed.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Sinovac Biotech has notified the Philippine government that its deliveries for July will begin to arrive only in the second half of the month.
He said 2.5 million doses might arrive in the third week. Sinovac is expected to deliver a total of six million doses in July.
“With this development, we advise all LGUs (local government units) who have Sinovac vaccines in their inventory to ensure that the allocation for the second dose should be used as the second dose,” Galvez said.
“Huwag po nating gamitin as first dose ang para sa second dose na Sinovac para masiguro na magkakaroon ng full protection ang ating mga kababayan na nakakuha na ng first dose,” he added.
(Let's not use the vaccines allocated for the second dose as first dose to ensure that vaccine recipients who have received one dose will get full protection.)
Aside from the delay in deliveries, Galvez also noted that there is a huge disparity between the first dose and second dose inoculations.
As of July 4, NVOC data showed that 8,839,124 doses have been given as first dose while only 2,868,905 have been administered as second dose.
"We are seeing a disparity in our national vaccination report wherein out of the 11 million jabs administered, only 2.8 million were fully vaccinated. This should be addressed by our implementing units,” Galvez said.
Second dose
In an advisory signed by Galvez, the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) said more than 5.7 million doses deployed to LGUs still have to be administered to their constituents, which are mostly intended for the second dose.
“We have to look into this matter seriously and act on it fast because based on studies, the full protection against the new variants of Covid-19, particularly the Delta variant, can only be assured when an individual is fully vaccinated with two doses,” Galvez said.
“We also call on every Filipino, especially those who have received their first dose to come back to your respective vaccination sites for your second dose as indicated in your vaccination cards. Remember that this is not just for your safety and protection but for the protection of your families, co-workers, and communities. Marami pong buhay ang nakasalalay sa bawat isa sa atin,” Galvez added.
He emphasized that those who fail to show up for their scheduled second dose due to illness and other medical conditions are still eligible to get their second shot at a later date.
Advisory 62 released by the NVOC on July 4 also advised LGUs of the delay in the arrival of Sputnik V component II vaccines.
It said the LGUs must immediately utilize the intended first doses of other vaccine brands such as Moderna, Pfizer and Sputnik V.
The advisory was directed at implementing units in NCR Plus 8, which consists of the National Capital Region, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, and Rizal.
The NVOC has so far deployed a total of 14,841,740 doses nationwide, or around 85 percent of the total volume delivered to the country.
The Philippines has received 17,457,810 doses, consisting of 12 million doses of Sinovac, 2,556 million doses of AstraZeneca, 2,472,210 doses of Pfizer, 249,600 doses of Moderna and 180,000 of Sputnik V.
Supply
The Philippine government has contracted a total of 26 million doses of Sinovac vaccines this 2021. Since March, 12 million doses have been delivered, including the one million doses donated by China and 900,000 doses procured by the private sector and the LGU.
Sinovac vaccines are administered 28 days apart.
Galvez asked for patience and understanding, saying there are other factors that delay production and deliveries.
“Rest assured that despite the two-week delay in the delivery of these Sinovac doses, our vaccine rollout will not be affected and will proceed nationwide. We should also understand that Sinovac also exhausted its supply for us. Last June, Sinovac delivered more than its contracted supply with a total of 6.5 million doses instead of 4.5 million doses,” he added.
The Philippines is also expected to receive additional vaccines from Covax, and the governments of Japan and the United States.
The government of Japan recently announced the delivery of one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines on July 8.
The Covax Facility has also confirmed the delivery of 3,024,000 doses of the single-dose Janssen vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) from the US government in the first half of July. Another 2,028,000 doses of AstraZeneca are expected middle of the month.
Other deliveries expected in the first half of July include 170,000 doses of Sputnik V, 250,800 doses of Moderna and 1.17 million doses of AstraZeneca that were procured by the private sector.
Pfizer has also informed NTF that 938,340 doses will be delivered in July, with the first shipment consisting of 562,770 doses expected on July 9 and the second batch of 375,570 on July 26.
The government is inoculating priority groups A1 (healthcare workers), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), A4 (economic frontliners) and A5 (indigent population). (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)