Moderna vax expected in PH by May-June

MANILA – The initial batch of Moderna vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is expected to arrive in the Philippines by May or June 2021, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez said Friday.

“We’ve already concluded the agreement, ‘yong supply na lang (the only problem now is the supply), we’re threshing out the supply kung kailan nila puwedeng i-deliver itong (when they can deliver) Moderna,” he said.

“We’re hoping that we will have the first deliveries by either end of May or early part of June,” he added.

Romualdez said Manila was able to secure about 20 million doses of vaccines developed by the American firm, along with the private sector which helped purchase the vials.

“Almost half of that will go to the private sector and their employees, malaking force ‘yan (that’s a big force). And then the other half will go to our health workers and the rest of Filipinos that will be receiving the Moderna through the LGUs (local government units) and other entities there in the Philippines,” he said.

The envoy is confident that the delivery would be no later than the second half of the year as America ramps up its vaccine production.

He said at least 117,000 Pfizer vaccines were negotiated through the COVAX Facility, a mechanism that guarantees fair and equitable access to Covid-19 jabs for low to middle-income countries.

Romualdez added that around four million Janssen Covid-19 vaccines were “readied” for the Philippines, although the pharmaceutical firm has yet to commit on the delivery date as most of the vaccine manufacturers in the United States are focused on the inoculation of at least 70 percent of the American population.