Philippines receives new Sinovac shipment, UAE donates Sinopharm vaccines

The Philippines received an additional shipment of 500,000 Sinovac's CoronaVac doses on Thursday, April 29, increasing the country's total vaccine supply to 3.5 million.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. welcomed the arrival and stated that these vaccines will be distributed to areas with high COVID-19 cases such as Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, Batangas, Pampanga, Baguio, Iloilo, Negros, and Tacloban.

Galvez also mentioned that the UAE intends to donate 500,000 doses of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine to the Philippines, adding to the country’s existing supply from Sinovac and AstraZeneca.

However, paperwork issues have stalled the distribution of a previous shipment of 500,000 doses delivered on April 22, as the FDA requires a certificate of analysis to ensure quality.