After a tumultuous year battling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Philippines finally began making headways against the virus at the start of 2021 after the government announced the procurement of millions of vaccine doses.
The first set of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the Philippines on February 28 and the next day the country kicked off its vaccination program to help combat the pandemic. The government prioritized frontline workers in health facilities in the vaccination queue, with senior citizens and persons with comorbidities next in line. Economic frontliners started now receiving the jabs on June 7.
The country has so far locked in 30 million doses from India’s Serum Institute, 25 million from China’s Sinovac, and 2.6 million from British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca. The Philippines is expected to have up to 172 million doses for the next year. Here is a list of some of the COVID-19 vaccine available in the Philippines as of June 2021.
1. Sinovac
The controversial Chinese vaccine, which has yielded efficacy rates of 50.4% to 91.25% in clinical trials in different countries, was the first to arrive in the Philippines. It was first offered and administered to healthcare workers. There were many reports of mild side effects including arm pain and fatigue, both of which are expected. The vaccinations were generally well-tolerated. A few people developed significant allergic reactions, but these were resolved with supportive care. There were a handful of deaths, not from the vaccine but from other causes, including COVID-19 that was presumably incubating at the time of inoculation. So far, a total of 9 million Sinovac vaccine doses have been delivered to the Philippines. The first two sets were donations, while the rest were procured by the national government.
2. AstraZeneca
Astra was the second vaccine rolled out about one week after Sinovac was given. It is the only available vaccine in the Philippines that was initially approved for seniors. Data from the original clinical trials showed vaccine efficacy of 62 percent against at least mild disease, and 100 percent efficacy against severe disease.
3. Pfizer
A combined 5 million vaccine doses from the COVAX facility came in two batches. The Philippines may secure as many as 25 to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech jab yielded 95% efficacy in a late-stage trial. Roughly 34,678,436 Filipinos may get the shots based on the government’s allocated fund for vaccine procurement next year..
4. Moderna
Moderna is a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company that focuses on drug discovery and development. It also makes vaccines based on mRNA (messenger RNA). Approximately 18,317,051 to 21,132,172 Filipinos may receive this vaccine under the earmarked P82.5 billion budget for COVID-19 vaccines.
5. Gamaleya
Named after the first Soviet space satellite, Gamaleya Research Institutes’s Sputnik V vaccine is worth P 1,220 for two doses per person. With its price, the vaccine may be administered to 67,622,950 Filipinos using the P82.5 billion budget.
