PH pledges $100-K to COVAX facility

MANILA – The Philippines has pledged USD100,000 to the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility during the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Thursday.

“I just pledged $100,000 to COVAX at Asean Foreign Ministers Retreat; I will make good on it. It is not always & only about us; it is as often about the rest of humanity esp. those most disadvantaged,” he said in a tweet. “As humans– I hope, we leave none of humanity behind to the extent we can help it.”

The COVAX facility, co-led by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to ensure equitable access to vaccines, especially for low and middle-income countries.

The initiative seeks to deliver two billion safe and effective vaccines that passed regulatory approval and WHO prequalification by the end of 2021.

Earlier, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Manila may get around 30 to 40 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility for free.

During the Asean meet, the bloc also agreed to use its Covid-19 Asean Response Fund in the procurement of vaccines, medical supplies, and equipment for the people of Asean member states.

This as the foreign ministers in attendance underscored the need for “fair, equitable and affordable access to safe and quality vaccines and their procurement for all people in Asean”.

The virtual Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat held on January 21 is the first Foreign Ministers’ meeting during Brunei’s Chairmanship of 2021.