PAL brings 400,000 Sinovac vaccine doses to PH

Philippine Airlines (PAL) B777 flight PR361 arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 on Wednesday morning, March 24, 2021, carrying 400,000 doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines from Beijing.

This flight marks the first time PAL has transported vaccines from an international hub to Manila, making it the first local carrier to bring home COVID-19 vaccines for the Philippines.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and testing czar Vince Dizon were among the government officials present during the vaccine's arrival.

The vaccines were quickly brought to a storage facility in Marikina City.

The Philippines' vaccination program began on March 1, prioritizing medical frontliners, and utilized Sinovac vaccines previously donated by China.

The government aims to complete the vaccination of healthcare workers by May and extend the program to other sectors starting April.

As of the article's publication, the Philippines had received 1.1 million doses for healthcare workers, comprising contributions from the COVAX Facility and Chinese government donations.