THE Philippines is expected to get the coronavirus -19 (COVID-19) vaccine mid next year, the Philippines top diplomat in the United States said yesterday.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington DC. Jose Manuel Romualdez at the same time said the Philippines is on track with its negotiation for COVID-19 vaccines with Pfizer, one of the pharmaceutical companies that will be distributing the vaccine.
“We are still on track for the Pfizer vaccine but most likely (the) delivery will be mid next year once Secretary (Carlito) Galvez, Jr. gives the order,” he said.
The Philippines could have secured some 10 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer as early as January 2021.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., however on Dec. 15 tweeted the deal did not push through after “someone dropped the ball“.
“Thanks just the same to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo we– Babe Romualdez and I– got 10 million doses of Pfizer financed by World Bank and ADB (Asian Development Bank) to be shipped thru FEDEX to Clark in January. But someone dropped the ball,” Locsin wrote.
Senator Panfilo Lacson said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III “failed to work” on a necessary documentary requirement called the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) with Pfizer.
“Pati ang Pfizer country representative, follow up ng follow up, nahihiya na raw sila Ambassador Jose Romualdez, di pa rin kumikilos si Sec. Duque. Hanggang nakuha ng Singapore, nawalan tayo. At ang pinakamaaga na para magkaroon ng pag-asa uli magka-vaccine, June next year. Yan ang story noon (The Pfizer country representative was even following up on the submission but he failed to act fast. Eventually, Singapore got the doses, and the earliest we could get the vaccine now is June next year),” he said in a radio interview.
Duque however denied that he did not act quick enough, emphasizing the process to make sure that COVID-19 vaccine deals are not onerous or disadvantageous.
