Vax delivery delays due to global logistics issues: Galvez

MANILA – The government is experiencing a delay in the deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX Facility due to “global logistics constraints,” National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Tuesday.

In a Palace briefing, Galvez said countries where the Covid-19 jabs come from are conducting massive vaccination campaigns, so they are restricting exports.

“Ang pinaka-latest information po natin sa COVAX ay magkakaroon po tayo ng slight delay kasi due to the constraints sa ating global logistics kasi nakikita natin nagkakaroon ng massive vaccination ‘yung mga manufacturing countries (Our latest COVAX information is that there will be a slight delay due to the constraints in global logistics as the manufacturing countries are also conducting massive vaccination),” he said.

Galvez said the government is trying its best to facilitate and expedite the deliveries of the “remaining commitment of the COVAX facility to the Philippines.”

On March 4, the COVAX facility initially sent 487,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, followed by an additional 38,400 doses on March 7.

Some 979,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, also from the COVAX facility, were supposed to arrive from March 24 to March 29 but global logistics constraints got in the way.

The Philippines is set to receive 5.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines within the second quarter of this year.

Galvez said the government eyes to finalize supply agreements with pharmaceutical firms Johnson&Johnson of the United States and Gamaleya Research Institute of Russia.

“Hopefully, all of these contracts will be finished in the first or second week of April,” he said.

Supply deals with Sinovac, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Novavax have been finalized, Galvez said.