MANILA, Apr 12 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Philippines, yesterday, received the second batch of Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac vaccines, purchased from China.
The Philippine Airlines, which flew the vaccines to Manila, handed over the shipment to vaccine czar, Carlito Galvez, the official in charge of the Philippines’ vaccine procurement efforts.
The Philippines is ramping up its vaccination efforts, as it continues to combat a surge of COVID-19 infections, fuelled by the more infectious variants. The government aims to inoculate up to 70 million Filipinos this year to achieve herd immunity, starting with health care workers.
With the arrival, on Feb 28, of the first batch of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines donated by China, the Philippines kicked off its vaccination campaign on Mar 1.
The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH), reported yesterday, 11,681 new confirmed cases, bringing its total tally to 864,868. The COVID-19 related death toll rose to 14,945, including 201 more deaths newly recorded in the country.– NNN-XINHUA
