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Asian Development Bank approves $250 million loan to boost PH vaccine supply

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - The Asian Development Bank said Monday it approved a $250 million (P12.5 billion) loan to help boost the vaccine supply in the Philippines.</p><p>The assistance will cover the government&#x27;s purchase of about 40 million additional doses of COVID-19 jabs for eligible children and booster shots for adults, the lender said in a statement. </p><p>&quot;ADB is supporting the government&#x27;s drive to provide vaccines to protect its citizens and save lives, especially with the emergence of new COVID-19 variants,&quot; ADB Principal Social Sector Specialist for Southeast Asia Sakiko Tanaka said.</p><p>&quot;Vaccination will allow the health system to better manage the effects of the virus and will help sustain economic recovery. It is key to the country&#x27;s full recovery from the pandemic,&quot; Tanaka added.</p><p>The ADB said the project called the Second Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19 under the Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (HEAL2) Additional Financing, will be co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). </p><p>The ADB said it had also helped finance upgrades of laboratories and the construction of isolation facilities in the country.</p><p>The government aims to inoculate 70 percent of the population by the end of the year. It also recently initiated booster shots for the eligible sector.</p><p>In November, the country started <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/03/21/ph-starts-covid-19-vaccination-of-kids-aged-12-to-17">vaccinating</a> children aged 12 to 17. </p><p>At least 39.5 million have been fully vaccinated as of Dec. 8. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/02/21/filipino-adults-may-receive-booster-shot-starting-friday-doh">Filipino adults may receive booster shots beginning Friday: DOH</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/03/21/philippines-rolls-out-booster-shots-for-adults">Philippines rolls out COVID-19 booster shots for adults</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/multimedia/infographic/03/23/21/philippines-covid-19-vaccine-tracker">Philippines: COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1638320" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The Asian Development Bank said Monday it approved a $250 million (P12.5 billion) loan to help boost the vaccine supply in the Philippines.