Syringes that will be used for the administration of Pfizer vaccines are set to arrive in the Philippines on December 2, according to the chairperson of the National Vaccine Operations Center (NVOC).
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said on Wednesday that the vaccines will arrive in tranches until the 44 million ordered syringes are completed.
"The Pfizer syringes that we have ordered from UNICEF are arriving December 2 in tranches mga four million in the next couple of days and then afterward may sunod-sunod na dadating po sa 44 million na inorder po namin mga two or three months ago," she said in a Laging Handa briefing.
(The Pfizer syringes that we have ordered from UNICEF are arriving December 2 in tranches, about four million in the next couple of days, with more to arrive from 44 million that we ordered two or three months ago.)
The global shortage of syringes used specifically for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines is one of the reasons why the target for the three-day vaccination drive was cut from 15 million to nine million.
The country is set to hold another three-day vaccination drive from December 15 to 17, and the undersecretary said they are eyeing the same target number of nine million for total vaccines administered for the second drive.
"Our initial consideration is the same target of nine million that we will have to consult with local chief executives kung ano yung maidedeliver nilang mga targets," she said.
(Our initial consideration is the same target of nine million that we will have to consult with local chief executives on what target can they deliver.)
