Philippines signs biggest COVID-19 vaccine order yet, for 40 mln Pfizer doses

Philippines seals biggest COVID-19 vaccine order yet, for 40 mln Pfizer doses The Philippine government has signed a supply agreement for 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE, (22UAy.DE) in its biggest coronavirus vaccine deal to date. Reuters Reuters

MANILA, June 20 (Reuters) - The Philippine government has signed a supply agreement for 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE, (22UAy.DE) in its biggest coronavirus vaccine deal to date.

Deliveries of the vaccine will begin in late September, Carlito Galvez, head of the government's COVID-19 vaccine procurement, said on Sunday. It "will significantly boost our national immunisation programme and will enable us to realise our goal of achieving herd immunity by year-end," he said.

The Philippines has now ordered 113 million doses from five vaccine manufacturers, including 26 million from China's Sinovac (SVA.O), 10 million of Russia's Sputnik V, 20 million doses from Moderna (MRNA.O) and 17 million doses from AstraZeneca. ...

To help boost the government's COVID-19 response, a team of medical experts from the Israel Ministry of Health has arrived in Manila. Israel has been a world leader in rolling out vaccines, having successfully reduced its active COVID-19 cases and gradually reopened its economy. Most of its population has received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Galvez said the health experts will share strategies, including how to address vaccine hesitancy.