The Philippines is planning to acquire 148 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine with an aim to inoculate at least half of its over 100 million population this year, Carlito Galvez Jr, the chief implementer of the Philippines' COVID-19 National Task Force, said Wednesday.
"Based on our current negotiations, we will be able to purchase at least 148 million doses from more or less seven manufacturers. However, it will be dependent on the global supply,” Galvez said, as quoted by the Inquirer news agency, adding that the Philippines was aiming to vaccinate from 50 to 70 million people this year.
Galvez noted that the country will receive 22 million doses from the WHO-sponsored COVAX Facility, and more will be purchased from different developers, including Novavax, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson&Johnson, Sinovac and the Russian Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.
"We hope to close the deal with these companies this month," Galvez said.
Three firms have made applications to conduct phase 3 clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines, including China's Sinovac and Clover Biopharmaceuticals, and Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical division of Johnson & Johnson corporation. On 29 December, the chief of the Philippines' Food and Drug Administration said that the country authorized the start of phase 3 clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica, while Sinovac and Clover Biopharmaceuticals still require the approval of the regulator.
COVAX is a component of the global ACT Accelerator facility whose aim is to bring together and make equitably accessible all global developments in the diagnostics, treatment and vaccines against COVID-19. The COVAX facility is responsible for the equitable access to vaccines both for countries that can afford it and those in need of assistance.