US to donate $5M to boost PHL COVID-19 vaccination campaign

THE UNITED States will donate $5 million or about P286 million to boost the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination campaign in the Philippines, according to the White House.  

[The US] intends to invest $5 million to further accelerate vaccine rollout through the Global VAX initiative,it said in a statement.   

The US government said it will also invest $8 million to strengthen its global health security partnership with the Philippines to help prevent avoidable outbreaks, detect health threats early, and respond rapidly and effectively when outbreaks occur.”  

The $8-million potential investment is subject to availability of funds.  

The US has given the Philippines more than $46 million in COVID response assistance. Washington has also donated 33.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Philippines in partnership with COVAX, a global platform for equal vaccine access.   

In addition, the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have established a new country office in the Philippines. These efforts reflect the United Statesprioritization of US-Philippines health partnership under the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA),the White House added.  

The Philippines has wasted more than 31 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, amounting to P15.6 billion, Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told ABS-CBNs Teleradyo on Monday.  

Almost 70% of the wasted vaccines were procured by the private sector and local governments, she said.  

Short life spans and temperature excursions were among the causes of vaccine wastage, Ms. Vergeire noted. Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza