Sinovac General Manager Helen Yang revealed that they have received a request from the Chinese government to prepare 600,000 doses of the COVID-vaccine to be donated to the Philippines.
The request was made following the Philippines’ decision to grant the vaccine’s emergency use authorization (EUA).
The Sinovac official added that they are currently clearing the documents with Customs in order to ship the vaccines to Manila. The shipment, she said, could happen within a week.
If this happens, this would be the first brand of COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in the country despite being the third vaccine brand to receive the EUA from the Philippines.
However, FDA chief Eric Domingo said during a recent press briefing that Sinovac’s efficacy range may only reach 50.4% for health workers with COVID-19 exposure.
“As such, it is not recommended to use in this group,” Domingo added.
