Preps underway for Covid-19 vax donation to Myanmar

MANILA – The government is now gearing up for the donation of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines to Myanmar, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“As of this moment, legal documentation processes are ongoing,” Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a press statement, as he gave an updated on the status of Covid-19 vaccines that will be donated to Myanmar.

Andanar said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. had already received the letter for the proper documentation of the Philippines’ planned donation of the coronavirus vaccines.

The letter, Andanar said, was inked by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

“As per the Department of Health (DOH), a letter signed by Secretary Francisco Duque III and Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr was sent to Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. who then seeks approval from the Office of the President as this is disposition of government property, which is, government-procured vaccines,” he said.

On Sunday, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said around 27 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines are set to expire in July this year.

The DOH and the NTF Against Covid-19, in a joint statement, said most of the doses that will expire in July 2022 “were either donated by other countries, or procured by local governments and the private sector.”

They added that only 2 percent of government-procured vaccines are considered “wastage,” stressing that it is “far less than the 10 percent indicative wastage rate used by the World Health Organization in the planning and forecasting of vaccine supply needs.”

“No one could guarantee for certain that manufacturers could deliver at the scale and schedule our people required; hence, decisions were made to secure as many doses as could be obtained from wherever they could be sourced,” they said. “Not one country could have predicted and balanced, with reasonable certainty, the global supply and demand of vaccines amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.”

They nevertheless guaranteed that the government continues to ramp up its vaccination drive to make sure that Covid-19 jabs are “more accessible and available” to the public.

Duque revealed in March the government’s intent to donate Covid-19 vaccines nearing expiries to countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and other African nations to boost their vaccine supply.

The DFA and DOH are identifying the receiving countries, as well as the quantity and types of brands that will be donated.

As of Monday, the Philippines already vaccinated around 73.47 percent of its target population against the coronavirus.

A total of 66,125,962 individuals are already fully vaccinated, while 12,154,567 others have already received booster or additional Covid-19 vaccine shots.

From March 28 to April 3, the country logged around 2,679 coronavirus infections, recording about 382 average cases daily.

In a separate media briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the donation of Covid-19 vaccines to countries needing the life-saving jabs would proceed as the country has an excess supply of them.

Last week, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said some 27 million Covid-19 vaccine doses may expire in July as the majority of the eligible citizens are yet to receive their booster shots.

“’Yung bilang saka kung anong bakuna ibibigay naten pina-finalize pa natin (We’re still finalizing the quantity and which vaccines to be donated) because we’re finalizing our inventories,” Vergeire said.

She added that details of the donation would be provided in the comings days as the government begins discussions with the recipient countries.