MANILA (18 November 2021) —- National Task Force against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr called on the international community on Thursday to continue working together in the global fight against the pandemic, especially in the implementation of national immunization programs.


“There is a greater need for us to collaborate, complement, and harmonize all our efforts. This is the only way we can adapt and thrive in the so-called new normal,” Galvez said during the Co-Benefits International Conference on the Latest Researches of CoronaVac on Thursday.

Galvez shared that the Philippines’ pandemic strategy, which employs whole-of-nation and whole-of-government, has enabled the country to “effectively address the challenges” of the health crisis.

“Latest data show the government has successfully created a balance between public health and economy. Our gross domestic product has expanded to 7.1% in the third quarter, while the positivity rate of our COVID-19 infections is now below 5%,” he noted.

The vaccine czar attributed these positive developments to the strong partnerships and close collaboration between the national government, private sector, medical community and donor nations.

Galvez also thanked Sinovac Life Sciences Co. Ltd for being a “reliable partner” in accelerating the implementation and expanding the coverage of the Philippines’ inoculation program.

He recalled that CoronaVac vaccines donated by the Chinese government were the first batch of COVID-19 jabs that were delivered to the country in February.

“These life-saving vaccines enabled us to begin the inoculation of our people, especially those who are highly vulnerable to the virus such as healthcare workers, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities,” Galvez said.

“These early deliveries were very critical, as almost all western-made vaccines at that time were in short supply. Indeed, Sinovac has proven to be a highly reliable partner, as shown by its speed and consistency in delivering the vaccines,” he added.

Out of the 129,053,970 COVID-19 doses delivered to the Philippines this year, 54,030,400 doses consist of CoronaVac jabs.

More than 51.13 million doses of the Sinovac-made vaccines were procured by the national government through its regular budget and multilateral loans.

“The vaccine’s capacity to provide a high level of protection, together with our excellent partnership with Sinovac Life Sciences, means that CoronaVac will continue to be a major part of our country’s national immunization program,” Galvez said.

The CoronaVac vaccine is part of the Philippines’ vaccine portfolio and among the first few brands that were granted with an Emergency Use Authorization by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration.

It is also included in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing. Currently, over 50 countries use CoronaVac in their immunization programs.

The scientific conference was organized by Sinovac Life Sciences Co. Ltd in order to provide a venue to discuss latest research findings on CoronaVac, as well as allow countries which use the vaccine to share their best practices and experiences in their respective vaccination programs.

As of November 17, a total of 72,763,442 vaccine doses have been administered nationwide. Of this number, more than 33.63 million doses were Sinovac vaccines, which include doses that were administered as booster shots to healthcare workers.

The total number of fully vaccinated individuals in the country now stands at 32,581,158 or 42.24% of the country’s target population. END