PH gets 500K more CoronaVac vaccine doses radyonatin.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from radyonatin.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
(Photo by Ariel Fernandez/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The cargo, which contains 15,000 doses, was flown in to the Philippines Saturday, May 1, via a Qatar airlines flight.
The BOC said this was the ninth batch of COVID-19 vaccines to be cleared by the agency this year. Previously cleared vaccine batches include 3.5 million doses from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and 525,600 doses from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca.
Sputnik V was developed by the Russia-based Gamaleya Institute. Last March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Russian vaccine for emergency use in the Philippines.
National Task Force against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.; IATF Chair and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III; Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Pavlo; and Undersecretary Robert Borje, chief of the Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs witnessed the arrival of the jabs.
Published May 1, 2021, 5:43 PM
After an initial delay, the first batch of Sputnik V vaccines procured by the government from Russia finally arrived in the country on Saturday, May 1, the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 said.
A commercial plane from Qatar Airways carrying the initial 15,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City around 3:50 p.m.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar and NTF chief implementer, and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III led government officials who welcomed the COVID-19 vaccines as seen in photos shared by the NTF to the media. They were accompanied by Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Pavlo and Undersecretary Robert Borje, chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO)
Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje affirmed the strategic partnership and broad cooperation between the two countries, citing the plans of President Duterte and his Japanese counterpart to hold a telesummit or phone call to discuss the matter.
The Prime Minister recently scrapped a planned visit to the Philippines early next month to focus on addressing a resurgence of coronavirus infections in Japan. President Duterte understood Suga’s decision to postpone his trip to the country, according to the Palace.
“Kahit magbago ang plano, tandaan natin ang pagtutulungan at kooperasyon ay nandidiyan. Hindi nagbabago (Even though the plans have changed, let’s remember that cooperation is there. It does not change),” Borje, also Chief of Presidential Protocol, said over government television.