Healthcare workers in NCR bubble, Cebu, Davao to get 400,000 Sinovac vaccines

The Philippines on Wednesday received 400,000 additional doses of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac. Screengrab from PTV

MANILA, Philippines — The government will be allocating most of the recently delivered 400,000 vaccine doses of Sinovac BioTech for healthcare workers in areas most affected by new coronavirus variants, Malacañang said Friday.

This includes healthcare workers in the National Capital Region “bubble” (NCR, Batangas, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite) Cebu and Davao, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

“Nagkaroon na ng desisyon ang ating NITAG (National Immunization Technical Advisory Group) na ‘yung mga kakarating na pinakahuling donasyon ng China na 400,000 na Sinovac ay ibibigay ang karamihan nito doon sa pinaka-apektado ng new variants kasama na ang NCR plus, Cebu, at Davao,” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced in a pre-taped interview over Laging Handa briefing.

(The NITAG has come up with a decision to concentrate most of the 400,000 Sinovac jabs to areas most affected by the new variants including NCR plus, Cebu, at Davao.)

The vaccine shots, which arrived in the Philippines on Wednesday, were donated by the Chinese government.

The donated vaccines were in addition to the initial 600,000 doses that arrived in the country last February 28.

One million more doses of Sinovac vaccines purchased by the national government will arrive on March 29.

The government is currently in the process of vaccinating healthcare workers in the country, who are the top priority in the vaccination program.

/MUF