PH to get first 194K doses of Moderna vaccine in May

MANILA – National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Tuesday said some 194,000 doses of Moderna vaccine will be delivered in the Philippines in May.

Galvez, also the country’s vaccine czar, said this will be the first batch of the 13 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine procured by the government through a bilateral agreement.

“And then Moderna, napirmahan na rin po natin ang supply agreement at darating po ang first doses this coming May, 194,000. (we have already signed the supply agreement and the first doses – 194,000 will arrive this coming May),” Galvez said in a virtual Palace presser.

Apart from government-procured jabs, Moderna company will be sending an additional 7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine purchased by the private sector.

Galvez added that bulk of the Moderna’s deliveries will arrive in the third and fourth quarters this year.

He likewise said the Maryland-based biotechnology company Novavax will be sending Covid-19 jabs within the third and fourth quarters this year.

“Iyong Novavax po mayroon po tayong 13 million, na sealed na po iyong ating supply agreement, mayroon na lang po tayong inaayos sa financing (We have sealed a supply agreement to secure 13 million doses from Novavax, we are just finalizing the financing),” he said.

Galvez, meanwhile, said the AstraZeneca firm will resume its deliveries in June.

“Tuluy-tuloy na po iyon hanggang maka-deliver po sila hanggang first quarter po ng 2022 (It will be continuous until they can deliver in the first quarter of 2022),” he added.

The Philippines has initially received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca through the COVAX Facility.