LOCAL government units are now authorized to use their allocated second doses of the CoronaVac vaccine from Sinovac Biotech as the government has assured a steady supply until October, according to a top official of the Department of Health.
According to Health Undersecretary and National Vaccine Operations Center Chairman Myrna Cabotaje, the order came from vaccination czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr, after hearing reports that some local government units have stopped inoculations due to lack of supply.
“Mayroon nang directive yung ating vaccine czar na sa Sinovac, pwede ang gamitin yung second dose as first dose basta naka-ensure na in two weeks, mayroon silang second dose, dahil magiging regular na ang supply ng Sinovac (Our vaccine czar has a directive to use the allocated second doses of Sinovac as first dose as long as there is an assurance that in two weeks, they will receive their second doses because Sinovac will now be delivered regularly), ” Cabotaje said in an interview over ABS-CBN Teleradyo on Saturday.
Cabotaje said that the country expects an additional two million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine this June, with regular deliveries continuing until October.
The country has procured 20.5 million doses of the vaccine, and will be used on frontline health workers, senior citizens, persons with co-morbidities, and economic workers.
Cabotaje also said that areas in the National Capital Region, Cebu and Davao can start inoculations of the Pfizer-BioNTech tozinameran vaccine under the A5 or indigent population.
The 2.28 million doses of the vaccine arrived on Thursday night and were sourced under the global Covax facility.