MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines will receive the first COVID-19 vaccines over the weekend, allowing it to start the vaccination program from next week, a senior official said Thursday.
Despite being one of the highest coronavirus cases and deaths in Asia, the Philippines will be the last Southeast Asian country to receive its first set of vaccines.
The delivery of 600,000 doses of Sinovac Biotech vaccines donated by China will arrive Sunday, said Harry Roque, spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte.
“It’s rolling out Monday because our countrymen are excited,” he said of the vaccination program.
One of the first to be vaccinated will be a hospital official who has lost both parents to the coronavirus, plus a tricycle, Roque said.
The Philippines has ordered 25 million doses from Sinovac and is expected to receive their first batch on Feb. 23. That was postponed, permission for emergency use was only given this week.
Aside from Sinovac, 10,000 doses of a vaccine developed by Sinopharm of China will arrive shortly, under a “compassionate use” for Duterte’s safety detail. Doses of AstraZeneca will arrive in March, Roque said.
“I have to admit that if we push for Western brands, we will still be waiting for them to arrive,” he added.
Duterte, who has pursued warmer ties with China and has a tense relationship with many Western countries, has previously said he wanted to source COVID-19 vaccines from China or Russia.
The vaccination program will be pivotal to the Philippines’ efforts to revitalize the economy, which suffered a record 9.5% decline last year due to strict and protracted lockdowns that hit consumer spending and saw major jobs lost.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; edited by Martin Petty)