MALACAÑANG said 600,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be arriving in the country on Feb. 23, 2021.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said 100,000 doses were donated by the Chinese government to the Department of National Defense (DND).
The Sinovac vaccine is still awaiting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for emergency use in the Philippines.
However Roque said the FDA has issued a compassionate use license for 10,000 doses of Sinopharm, which were administered to members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).
He said the families of the PSG personnel might also benefit from the vaccines.
Some PSG personnel earlier confirmed receiving the candidate vaccine developed by Sinopharm, a state-owned Chinese pharmaceutical company.
For his part, National Task Force Against Covid-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said delivery of the 117,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be a bit delayed. But they are still expected to arrive within the month.
Cebu City
Meanwhile, Mayor Edgardo Labella said 10 clustered areas will serve as venues for the upcoming city-wide vaccinations against the coronavirus
disease.
Labella said while they have yet to acquire their own vaccines, the P400 million allocation that the City has prepared to acquire the vaccines is ready for use.
Labella said that aside from buying their own stocks, the City will also depend on the National Government’s supply.
Cebu City has been identified as among the cities outside Metro Manila to be given priority by Malacañang in the distribution of vaccines.
Once the national government starts rolling out the vaccines, the City will then use its own funds to acquire the difference, said Labella.
Labella said the City’s Vaccine Board has yet to decide which vaccine brand to purchase.
Labella earlier said he had no problem buying vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca for as long as they are authorized by the FDA. / Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines, (PAC / JKV)