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Philippine COVID-19 vaccination could begin in Q1 or start of Q2 2021 —Duque
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that the Philippines' COVID-19 vaccination program could commence within the first quarter or at the start of the second quarter of 2021.
This timeline is considered the best-case scenario, as inoculating the 60 to 70 million Filipinos needed will be a lengthy process.
The government aims to secure a diverse portfolio of vaccines, with potential candidates including Sinovac, Gamaleya, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Johnson & Johnson.
Several of these selected vaccines are advantageous because they require less sophisticated cold storage temperatures compared to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
However, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, along with those from Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford, have shown over 90% effectiveness in trials.
The ultra-low freezer requirement for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines presents a challenge for the Philippines, though Pfizer may provide assistance with cold storage.
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