MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Thursday night received 2.28 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX Facility, marking the arrival of the biggest shipment yet of the jabs in the country.
An Air Hongkong plane carrying the doses landed at the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay around 8:47 p.m., per News5.
The Philippines got its first ever supply of Pfizer's vaccine in May of about 193,000 doses. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the newly arrived will be given to those in the A1 to A3 priority list, or health workers, senior citizens, and those with comorbidities.
"If we don’t vaccinate them we will encounter the same packed emergency rooms, unavailable intensive care units, and even hospital beds during the next surge," he said in a statement. "I urge everyone to choose to be vaccinated when it’s their turn to protect themselves and their loved ones."
The Freeman has reported that Cebu also received 210,000 Pfizer doses tonight at the Mactan Cebu International Airport, while 111,150 doses went to Davao. The three metropolitan areas — Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, are so far the only areas in the country with capability for storing the said jabs.
Government has continued to rely significantly on vaccines from the COVAX Facility, with supplies yet to become stable. It has received millions of doses from Sinovac from its direct purchase, and is awaiting the arrival of other brands such as Moderna and AstraZeneca.
Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organization's representative to the country, said that while there has been huge progress on efforts, authorities have to accelerate vaccination on the elderly and those with health conditions.
"WHO urges the National Task Force and the local government units to establish mechanisms to increase accessibility to vaccination of the healthcare workers and elderly across the country,” he said.
The Philippines has administered over 6.31 doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of June 8, according to official figures. That would amount to 1.68 million Filipinos fully vaccinated, while 4.63 million have received their first dose.