China donates COVID-19 vaccine to the Philippines

Gulf Today Report 

The Philippines received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine from China on Sunday

The donated doses from China arrived a day before the Philippines kicked off its national inoculation campaign.

The 600,000 doses of Sinovac Biotech’s Coronavac was delivered by a Chinese military aircraft.

The Philippines will be receiving another 25 million doses of CoronaVac in batches this year.

READ MORE 

UAE announces 2,930 new COVID-19 cases

New Zealand imposes second restriction this month on Auckland

Palestinians praise UAE's move to provide COVID-19 vaccine to Gaza

The vaccination campaign will begin with health care workers, police and military personnel.

President Rodrigo Duterte  thanked China for the "gesture of friendship and solidarity - the hallmark of Philippines-China partnership."

The Philippines has also negotiated vaccine supply deals with other manufacturers, seeking to secure up to 148 million doses so it can inoculate 70 million people or two-thirds of its population.

Despite the vaccine arrival, however, there is little public support for the inoculation drive. One opinion poll showed that less than a third of Filipinos are willing to get vaccinated as they worry about potential side effects.