Donated jabs may arrive in Philippines 'this week or next' — Sinovac exec
MANILA, Philippines — There is no definite date yet for the delivery of first doses of the Sinovac Biotech coronavirus vaccine but it could be “this week or next week,” an official of the Chinese pharmaceutical firm said.
In a briefing Wednesday, Sinovac Biotech general manager Helen Yang said the initial shipment of vaccine doses is expected “very soon.”
“We’re working very hard with our Philippine counterpart to prepare for the delivery. The product has already been prepared so we just need to finalize the procedures with the customs then we can fix the date of the flight,” Yang said.
“We will try our best to see if we can deliver the products in this week or next week. It will be very soon,” she added.
The government initially announced that the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines would be on February 15, a date that has since been pushed back.
President Rodrigo Duterte wants to be present when doses of the Sinovac jab arrive in the country, his spokesperson said Wednesday.
Beijing committed to donate 600,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine known as CoronaVac despite questions and concerns over its varying efficacy rates. Of these, 100,000 will be allocated to military personnel.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said Chinese authorities would need three to five days to prepare the vaccine shipment once an Emergency Use Authorization is issued. The country’s FDA granted an EUA to CoronaVac Monday.
The vaccine can be given to “clinically healthy” adults aged 18 to 59 but was not recommended for healthcare workers or the elderly.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo explained that Sinovac is not the most ideal vaccine for medical frontliners because they are constantly exposed to COVID-19 patients.
According to late stage trials in Brazil involving health workers who have had exposure to COVID-19 cases, the jabs yielded only a 50.4% efficacy rate—just above the World Health Organization’s threshold for vaccine use.
Aside from Sinovac, the FDA has also issued EUAs to the vaccine of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca. But so far, none have been shipped to the Philippines and the government is facing criticisms over the delayed vaccine rollout.
The Philippine government earlier signed a term sheet with the Chinese drugmaker for 25 million doses of its vaccine.
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