Tatlong bansa sa EU, nagdonate ng halos 3.8 million vaccine doses sa Pilipinas

Patuloy ang pagdating sa bansa ng mga donasyon ng bakuna mula sa mga bansa sa Europa.

Ang huling shipment ng 3,789,600 doses ng Janssen vaccine mula sa Sweden, Austria at Netherlands ay dumating nitong Martes.

Sinabi ni Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thanborg, na masaya siyang personal na masaksihan ang pagdating ng mga bakuna, na nasa 1,512,000 doses na donasyon ng kanilang bansa sa pamamagitan ng COVAX Facility.

Ayon kay Thanborg . . . “We will also donate at least six million non-earmarked vaccine doses in 2021, 1.5 million of these doses will go to the Philippines as you have seen in this shipment, and we want to thank the Department of Health, Secretary (Carlito) Galvez, of course, my dear colleagues from the European Union. Vaccine equity is key. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Sinabi naman ni Austrian Ambassador to the Philippines Bita Rasoulian, na ang vaccination drive ay isang “global effort” na dapat gawing magkakasama ng mga bansa. Ang Austria ay nagdonate din ng 266,400 doses ng Janssen.

Ayon kay Rasoulian . . . “You may know that Austria is among the lead contributors to the COVAX Facility as part of Team Europe, as part of the European Union. We applaud the Philippines for its ongoing vaccination effort, for this very successful vaccination drive, and for Austria that every nation, every citizen, every person around the world has access to high-quality vaccines.”

Ang donasyon ng Dutch government na 2,011,200 doses ng Janssen ay dumating din nitong Martes.

Pinuri naman ni World Health Organization (WHO) representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe na naroon nang dumating ang mga bakuna, ang Sweden at Austria para sa kanilang mga donasyon sa pagsasabing makatutulong iyon para maragdagan ang mga Filipinong magiging ganap nang bakunado.

Sinabi ni National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer at vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. na ang donasyong Janssen vaccine ay ipadadala sa “geographically challenged” areas.

Ayon kay Galvez . . . “Priority natin sa Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) ay yung areas of BARMM, Region 5 (Bicol), Region 12 (Soccsksargen), and other areas in Davao City, lalo na tinatawag nating most geographically isolated areas and also the island of Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, and other islands in the areas of Bicol. “