PHL eyes February vaccine rollout, learning from other nations

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. stated that starting the Philippines' COVID-19 vaccination program by February is not bad, especially since wealthy nations only recently began their inoculations.

He mentioned that a potential delay of one month could provide an opportunity for the country to learn from the initial shortcomings of other nations' vaccination rollouts.

Galvez is scheduled to meet with the COVAX Facility - Gavi on Tuesday to discuss an early vaccination rollout in either the second or third week of February.

The government anticipates that at least 50,000 Filipinos will receive Sinovac vaccines by February.

Galvez previously clarified that the vaccination program was expected to commence by the end of February, adjusting earlier pronouncements of an earlier start within the month, with the initial rollout targeted for the third or fourth week, contingent on vaccine supply and delivery dates.

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson had expressed frustration over the perceived lack of urgency in vaccine procurement, noting that other countries had already begun inoculating their populations.

Galvez defended the government's efforts, stating they are on schedule and expressed gratitude for the anticipated delivery of 25 million doses of Sinovac vaccines from China.

He also addressed concerns about negotiations with Pfizer, asserting that Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. was not privy to the details of those discussions.