US to give PH 7 million vaccine doses via COVAX

The Philippines will be among the priority Asian nations to receive a share of 7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the first batch of donations announced by US President Joe Biden.

The US announced its plan to donate 25 million vaccine doses from its total global donation of 80 million by the end of June.

Of the 25 million doses, 19 million will be distributed through the COVAX facility.

COVAX will allocate approximately 7 million doses to various Asian countries, including the Philippines, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands.

Additionally, COVAX will provide 6 million doses to South and Central America and 5 million doses to Africa.

The remaining 6 million doses from the initial US tranche will be directly allocated by the US to regional priorities and areas experiencing surges, such as the West Bank and Gaza.

The Philippines had previously aimed to secure between 3 million and 5 million vaccine doses from the US' global donation.