Manila, Ph- Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. says each region of the country will receive at least 100,000 doses of the single-shot J&J vaccine.
The US' donation of J&J vaccines will be the first of at least two shipments expected. Aside from donations shipped through COVAX, the US earlier announced the Philippines is included in a list of countries which will directly receive vaccine doses from the US government after the supply agreement will have been processed.
The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration earlier granted emergency approval for J&J's vaccine and cleared the US donation for emergency use.
J&J recently announced that its single-dose vaccine showed strong promise against the Delta variant and other emerging strains, and also provided durable protection against the infection more broadly.
The United States is sending over 3 million Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceuticals) vaccine doses to the Philippines through the COVAX global vaccine sharing facility, Philippine vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday, July 8.
In an interview on ANC's Headstart, Galvez said a final delivery date has yet to be determined, but the doses are expected to be shipped within the month.
Galvez said 3,024,000 J&J doses will be given to the Philippines, with at least 100,000 doses to be distributed per region.
Unlike other vaccines, the J&J vaccine requires only one dose, making it easier for countries to roll out the jab.
The J&J vaccine is expected to boost the Philippines' vaccine drive, where demand still outstrips supply and local governments continuously face shortages of vaccines. It will be the sixth vaccine brand to be used in the country.
In a separate statement, Galvez said that because the J&J doses will be donated through COVAX, the government's priority list for COVID-19 vaccines must be strictly followed.
"All COVAX-donated vaccines will be used strictly to inoculate A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities)," Galvez said.
The US' plan to donate to several countries fulfills President Joe Biden's earlier commitment to share 80 million American-made vaccines around the world.
| Via Rappler.com
The Department of Health (DOH) today reminded the public to be more understanding of our health care workers and work together to improve our vaccination protocols. The DOH explained that it is aware of more circulating videos of prospective vaccine recipients who failed to receive a proper dose of COVID-19. The Department, through the Centers for Health and Development (CHDs), is investigating the incidents in coordination with local government units (LGUs) concerned. Likewise, CHDs and LGUs are proactive in reaching out to the said recipients and are given immediate assistance.
“Patuloy po nating binabantayan at tinitingnan ang mga reports ng mga indibidwal na hindi nakakuha ng dose ng bakuna ng maayos. Ang hiling po namin ay tayo po ay maging mas maunawain sa ating mga healthcare workers, let’s not crucify them. Tayo pong lahat ay magtulungan upang mas maisaayos pa ang ating vaccination protocols,” said Undersecretary for Health Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire.
The National COVID-19 Vaccine Operation Cluster recently conducted a re-orientation on the COVID-19 vaccine administration protocols among regional and local vaccination teams in the country. Moreover, the Department reminded vaccinators to exercise due diligence in the vaccination process - take extra care and attention during the inoculation process. To avoid more incidents of vaccinators failing to administer the proper dose, the DOH suggested LGUs to deck vaccinators every 8-hours to minimize fatigue and ensure quality of service and have a vaccinator aide to assist and lessen the work of the vaccinator. In the end, the DOH urged the public to be proactive in making sure to get the jab.
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