PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday evening, July 8, 2021, witnessed the arrival of AstraZeneca vaccines donated by the Government of Japan.
The shipment, consisting of 1,124,100 doses, arrived at past 9 p.m. Thursday at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.
In a statement, the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 said the donated vaccines are part of Japan’s assistance to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and on top of Japan’s contribution to the Covax Facility.
“This latest vaccine shipment will benefit 562,050 Filipinos belonging to priority groups A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5,” the NTF said.
The AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is given in two doses up to 12 weeks apart.
Economic Minister Nakata Masahiro of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines relayed the message of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who said that Japan's donation is "a clear testament to the deep-rooted bonds of friendship" between the two nations.
Duterte, in his speech, said Japan's donation will go a long way in achieving herd immunity against Covid-19 in the Philippines.
"Japan continues to be our partner in various development programs. Our cooperation in fighting the pandemic is truly an indication of the deep friendship between our two countries...I express my heartfelt gratitude to Japan for all of the assistance you have extended to our country during these challenging times," he said.
Duterte repeated his call to all Filipinos to get vaccinated and help prevent further transmission of the highly contagious disease. He also urged all citizens, including those fully vaccinated, to continue complying with the minimum public health standard protocols such as wearing of face masks and face shields, and observing physical distancing.
"Together, let us beat the pandemic and ensure our way towards a better and brighter tomorrow," he added.
This latest shipment brings the total deliveries to the Philippines to 18,581,910 doses, consisting of 12 million doses of Sinovac, 3,680,100 doses of AstraZeneca, 2,472,210 doses of Pfizer, 249,600 doses of Moderna and 180,000 doses of Sputnik V.
Of the total, one million doses of Sinovac were donated by China, 1,124,100 doses of AstraZeneca were donated by Japan, while 2.556 million doses of AstraZeneca and 2,472,210 doses of Pfizer were donated through Covax.
Of the 249,600 doses of Moderna, 99,600 doses were procured by the private sector through the government. The rest of the vaccines were procured by the government.
The NTF said it was expecting additional 2.028 million doses of AstraZeneca from Covax on Friday, July 9, to complete the 4.584 million doses of AstraZeneca and 2,472,210 doses of Pfizer allocated for the Philippines.
The government is inoculating groups A1 (healthcare workers, mayors and governors), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), A4 (workers who need to go out to work) and A5 (indigent population).
As of July 7, Malacañang said 3,089,976 individuals have been fully vaccinated.
A total of 12,489,777 doses have been administered nationwide to 9,399,801 persons. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)