The country's vaccine arsenal against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been given a boost by the latest donation coming from Japan.
President Duterte thanked Japan for sending more than 1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, saying these vaccines would help the country's efforts to attain herd immunity.
The latest donation of 1,124,100 doses of AstraZeneca jabs arrived at the Manila airport Thursday night, July 8. The shipment would add to the country's supply of over 17 million doses previously obtained from various suppliers abroad.
"Let me thank the government of Japan and the Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for working with the Philippine government in ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. These more than one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will surely go a long way in our quest for herd immunity," Duterte said in welcoming the arrival of the vaccines.
"Japan continues to be our strong partner in various development programs. Our cooperation in fighting the pandemic is truly an indication of the deep friendship between our two countries," he added.
Duterte also expressed heartfelt gratitude to Japan for all of the assistance extended to the Philippines during these challenging times.
"By providing cold chain transport and ancillaries, you have enabled us to ensure the safe and efficient transport of these vaccines and preserve its quality and integrity," he added.
Japan earlier offered a P308-million grant to the Philippines for the provision of cold chain transport and ancillaries to facilitate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to the provinces.
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More than 12 million doses of vaccines have been administered by the government since the vaccination program started last March. From this number, around 3 million have completed their two-dose vaccination.
The government aims to inoculate up to 70 million adult Filipinos before the end of the year to attain herd immunity. The vaccination goal however has been revised after the government encountered problems with limited supply. Its short-term goal is attain population protection or vaccinate 50 percent of the population of Metro Manila and other high-risk areas before the end of 2021.
The Palace remained optimistic the nation can enjoy a "maskless" Christmas as it encouraged more people to get vaccinated to boost protection against the virus.