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Chinese vaccine vs COVID-19 may be first to arrive in PH: inoculation czar

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/afp/10/22/20200924-sinovac-vaccine-beijing-afp-s.jpg"/><figcaption>A staff member works during a media tour of a new factory built to produce a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at Sinovac, one of 11 Chinese companies approved to carry out clinical trials of potential coronavirus vaccines, in Beijing on September 24, 2020. Wang Zhao, AFP</figcaption></figure></div> MANILA (UPDATE) - A Chinese vaccine against COVID-19 may be the first to arrive in the Philippines, the country&#x27;s inoculation czar said Wednesday as the United Kingdom began immunizing its citizens.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/08/20/british-grandma-1st-in-world-to-get-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-outside-trial">British grandma 1st in world to get Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine outside trial</a></li></ul>Among the vaccines the Philippines aims to procure are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Novavax, Sinovac and Russia&#x27;s Gamaleya, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr said.China&#x27;s Sinovac may arrive in the country by March if a contract is signed within the month, he said.&quot;Sana makuha po natin ng first quarter. Sabi nga nung (According to) IP biotech that if we will be able to have a consummation of contract when we already successfully sign the contract, they can provide it after 60 to 90 days, meaning 2 to 3 months,&quot; he told ANC&#x27;s Headstart.(We hope we&#x27;ll get it in the first quarter.)&quot;If we will have a signing this month, most likely we’ll have it by March.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/09/20/covid-19-vaccine-approval-may-take-3-4-weeks-fda">COVID-19 vaccine approval may take 3-4 weeks: FDA</a></li></ul>Galvez said he was &quot;more than willing&quot; to inoculate himself with the Chinese vaccine as other countries have begun to use it.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/08/20/indonesia-receives-over-a-million-chinese-covid-19-vaccine-doses">Indonesia receives over a million Chinese COVID-19 vaccine doses</a></li></ul>&quot;I was briefed by the vaccine expert panel and based on their evaluation, Sinovac and the Chinese vaccines are very safe because it came from the classical inactivated virus platform,&quot; he said.&quot;They briefed me that the safest among the platform and the classical that’s been used for years is the inactivated virus.&quot;Western-made vaccines Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca might come at a later time as their countries of origin will be prioritized and &quot;more than 80 percent of vaccine manufacturing capacity has been procured&quot; by first world countries, Galvez said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/07/20/3-vaccine-makers-hurdle-phs-ethics-review-moderna-pfizer-consider-application-doh">3 vaccine makers hurdle PH’s ethics review; Moderna, Pfizer consider application — DOH</a></li></ul>&quot;&#x27;Yung vaccines came from first world countries, they even financed it. Definitely sila po ang mauunang magroroll out. Considering we don’t produce our vaccine, the possibility is to have that vaccine after the rollout of original countries,&quot; he said.(The vaccines came from first world countries, they even financed it. Definitely, they will be the first to roll out.)&quot;I believe we&#x27;ll only get it maybe the last portion of the second quarter or maybe third quarter, that&#x27;s the reality.&quot;A law prohibiting advanced payment also made it difficult for government to secure vaccine supply, Galvez said.&quot;The advanced payment model is not allowed by law...Tayo lang po talaga ang &#x27;di nagaallow ng (We&#x27;re the only country that doesn&#x27;t allow) advanced procurement considering that by law the President can have an advanced commitment by 15 percent, and normally yung advanced commitment is 50 percent,&quot; he said.Government aims to inoculate 3 million frontliners and essential workers, followed by &quot;all government essential workers and servicemen.&quot;&quot;Our target for (next) year is more or less 25 million and based on the availability of vaccine we can expand it to 30 or 35 million, because with this figure we can contain the death and contamination of our people,&quot; he said.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ItZaRvYbNjo?enablejsapi=1"></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>

A Chinese vaccine against COVID-19 may be the first to arrive in the Philippines, the country's inoculation czar said Wednesday as the United Kingdom began immunizing its citizens.

A Chinese vaccine against COVID-19 may be the first to arrive in the Philippines, the country's inoculation czar said Wednesday as the United Kingdom began immunizing its citizens.