Philippines : DOH: First batch of Pfizer vaccines possible to arrive on February 13

 

The Department of Health (DOH) is expecting the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines, comprising 117,000 doses, on February 13.

“It’s going to be by the second or third week of February, then last week we had this information that we will have an indicative date of it might be coming by February 13. So if ever this will come on February 13, three days after we will begin the roll out,” DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines in an interview.

The DOH added that if things go as planned, the vaccination roll out for health workers will happen next week.

“So is an indicative date of maybe February 15 or 16 that we can start the immunization if and when the vaccines arrive on that date they’ve said,” Vergeire said.

The DOH said they are confident that the target arrival and roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine will happen.

“I’m confident is that the commitment by the second or third week of February would push through. It’s coming from the United States,” she said.

The government will also holds a simulation exercise on the arrival of the vaccines on Tuesday.

“We are having that simulation today where we are going to do the step-by-step process from the arrival of the vaccines in the airport. There would be this Customs clearance going to the one stop shop of Customs. We have allotted 30 minutes from the airport going to the Customs and then loading the vaccines in this distributing or transport mechanism that we have,” she said.