First batch of COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Davao and Cebu
The
Philippines started its national coronavirus vaccination campaign on Monday,
facing widespread public skepticism and a shortage of vaccine supplies.
Today
(March 2), Philippine Airlines flight PR8809 (RP-C9905) took off from Manila at
5:09 a.m. and arrived in Davao at 6:48 a.m., carrying 12,000 Sinovac vaccine
doses.
The
vaccines (placed in 20 boxes) were moved to cold-storage vans upon arrival at
Davao International Airport. The shipment was delivered to the Southern
Philippines Medical Center and other hospitals in Davao City.
Earlier,
Philippine Airlines flight PR1845 (RP-C9928) took off from Manila at 6:22 a.m.
and arrived in Cebu at 7:38 a.m. with 7,000 Sinovac vaccine doses weighing 450
kilograms. For the flight, PAL also used an A321 aircraft.
The
vaccines (placed in 12 boxes) were loaded into cold-storage vans after being
released from the aircraft’s cargo compartment. The vaccines will be
transferred from Mactan Cebu International Airport to the Vicente Sotto
Memorial Medical Center and other hospitals.
Cold-storage
vans transported the vaccines from the Marikina storage facility to PAL’s
International Cargo Terminal (PAL ICT) in Pasay City last night (March 1), in
preparation for the Davao and Cebu flights.
The
600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines flown into the country from China are part of
the shipment for Cebu and Davao.
The
Philippines is the last Southeast Asian country to obtain a supply of COVID-19
vaccine. President Duterte’s administration plans to vaccinate 70 million
Filipinos, but some public opinion polls have reported widespread opposition
due to concerns about the CoronaVac vaccine’s safety and efficacy.