US donates 1M Pfizer doses to Cebu

Almost one million doses of US-donated Pfizer vaccines arrived in Cebu on Wednesday, October 6th.

The shipment includes 994,500 doses to bolster inoculation efforts for senior citizens and vulnerable populations in Central Visayas.

This is part of the larger delivery of 2.7 million doses that arrived over the weekend.

USAID Philippines health director Michelle Lang-Alli highlighted the importance of rapid distribution to avoid spoilage due to Pfizer's strict cold storage requirements.

The US has provided over PHP1.9 billion in support for pandemic response, including vaccine rollout and healthcare worker training.

DOH-7 regional director Dr Jaime Bernadas emphasized the need to prioritize vulnerable groups and achieve 70-80% population protection by year-end to mitigate election-related risks.