DOH: Pfizer vaccine delay won't affect rollout

The Department of Health (DOH) stated on Saturday that the one-week delay in Pfizer's delivery of COVID-19 vaccines will not significantly impact the government’s vaccination plan.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire assured during a briefing that this delay is part of smart planning for vaccine rollout.

As reported by vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the indemnification agreement with Pfizer, which ensures compensation for serious side effects, is under review and should be finalized soon.

Galvez earlier mentioned that without an existing indemnification law in place, the vaccines could have arrived as early as Friday.

The Philippines expects to receive at least 5.6 million doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines by March, with the initial batch of 117,000 Pfizer doses arriving this month.