First tranche of U.S. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrives in PH
HEALTH • 05:45 AM Sun Mar 7, 2021
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By:
Nash B. Maulana
THE United States has disclosed the arrival to the Philippines of 487,200 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, March 4.
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law said the vaccines were made available through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The United States already has donated Php97.2 billion ($2 billion) to COVAX, by far the largest contribution, to ensure the Philippines and other countries receive COVID-19 vaccines, a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy on Friday said.
In February, the U.S. government announced a total planned contribution of Php194.4 billion ($4 billion) to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment. The United States already has provided an initial Php97.2 billion ($2 billion), and the Philippines is among the first countries in the region to have received COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.
“The United States is proud to be the largest contributor to COVAX, and we welcome the successful arrival of the first tranche of AstraZeneca vaccines in the Philippines. As we fight the pandemic together, the United States will continue to support the Philippines’ vaccination and COVID-19 mitigation efforts,” said Chargé d’Affaires Law.
The embassy statement said the U.S. contributions to COVAX, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will support the purchase and delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations in 92 low- and middle-income countries.
This support is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy.
The United States has worked closely with Philippine stakeholders throughout the duration of the pandemic to protect public health and strengthen the response to COVID-19.
To date, total U.S. government COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines has amounted to more than Php1.1 billion ($23.4 million), the statement added. With reports from Nash B. Maulana