PH in final talks with Moderna to secure 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez announces that the country is in the final talks with the American biotechnology company Moderna for the acquisition of up to 20 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the ambassador, Moderna’s vaccines may be expected to be delivered to the country around mid-2021.

“I am pleased to share that, following months of discussions with Moderna, the Philippines is in the final stages of negotiating for the supply of a minimum of 10 million doses of mRNA-1273, the company’s vaccines, with the option to purchase an additional 10 million doses, for delivery beginning in mid-2021,” Romualdez said in a statement that was shared on Twitter by the embassy.

Romualdez said that last December, Moderna and Arcturus Therapeutic Holdings Inc. are willing to supply up to 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines in the coming third quarter of 2021.

Furthermore, Romualdez also said that he welcomes the pledge of support of the private sector led by ICTSI’s Enrique Razon for the shipping and distribution of the vaccines from the manufacturing facility in Spain to the Philippines at no cost to the Philippine government.

Earlier, chief of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr stated that the government is aiming to secure a total of 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses within the week,

So far, the Philippines has secured a total of 30 million doses of the Covovax COVID-19 vaccine from India, which can be expandable up to 40 million doses.