US gives P170-M aid to boost Philippines’ COVID-19 vaccination drive

The United States, through USAID Manila, has donated P170 million or $3.5 million to help in the Philippines' immunization program against the coronavirus disease, the US Embassy said Thursday.

"I am proud to announce that the U.S., through  @USAID_Manila, is providing an additional Php170 million ($3.5 million) to support @DOHgovph's COVID-19 vaccine rollout," Chargé d’Affaires John Law of US Embassy in Manila announced through his Twitter account,@USEmbassyPHDCM.

I am proud to announce that the U.S., through @USAID_Manila, is providing an additional Php170 million ($3.5 million) to support @DOHgovph's COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Thank you to @SecDuque for joining us in Caloocan City for the announcement. #USPHThrivingAt75 pic.twitter.com/XXtlDlY6zO

— Chargé d’Affaires John Law (@USEmbassyPHDCM) April 15, 2021

The new funding from USAID will help strengthen the vaccine supply chain, monitor vaccine safety and improve vaccine confidence in the Philippines.

The cash aid will also support local government units to plan, track and administer vaccines.

“While the pandemic has tested our peoples and our economies, the strong bonds between Americans and Filipinos will help us rise above this challenge,” Law said during his visit at a vaccination center in Caloocan City. 

“We will continue to fight this unprecedented global health crisis together,” he added.

In 2020, the US sent a P269-million assistance to the country to fund programs that would help curb the community transmission of COVID-19.

Meanwhile at an online economic forum, Gloria Steele, acting USAID administrator, said the Biden administration is helping the Philippines’ vaccine access, providing a fresh $3.5 million aid to further support the country in securing vaccines from the COVAX facility.

COVAX is an international partnership established to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations around the world.

The assistance, she said, brings the US’ total COVID-19 support in the Philippine health sector starting from last year to $25 million or approximately P1.25 billion.

“Our assistance will strengthen vaccine supply chains and support local governments to plan, track and deliver vaccines,” she said.

Moreover, Steele said USAID recently contributed an initial $2 billion to COVAX and are committed to another $2 billion next year to increase global supply of COVID-19 vaccine.

Along with Australia and Japan, Steele said the US also plans to support the expansion of vaccine manufacturing in India and in other countries for use in Asia.

“While we work in the Philippines to strengthen the health security, we are also working to increase the availability of vaccine globally and in Asia, including the Philippines,” Steele said.

Philippines-US alliance

At the same forum, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez appealed to the US to heed calls from the Filipino-American community to help the country secure coronavirus vaccines, saying such assistance would restore the Filipino people’s confidence in the two countries’ alliance.

“These doses of hope will not only save lives and assuage anxiety over the continued rise of coronavirus cases in the country but will also go a long way in restoring confidence of Filipinos in our alliance,” Romualdez said.

“I hope our closest ally will heed our call for help in the urgent appeal of the Filipino-American community in getting doses now that the Philippines is in a critical state.”

“We all know without enough vaccines, efforts to spur economic activity and restore some degree of normalcy will be hampered by the recurring need for lockdown measures,” Romualdez added.

Vaccine rollout

Figures from the Department of Health and National Task Force Against COVID-19 showed that the Philippines so far rolled out 1,255,716 vaccine doses out of the more than 3 million doses that arrived in the country.

Data also showed that 1,093,651 people received their first shot while 162,065 individuals got both doses since the nationwide vaccination program began in March 2021.

So far, only vaccines from China’s Sinovac and from British drug-maker AstraZeneca are available in the Philippines although the government assured that more supplies will be delivered from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson in the coming months.

The Philippines has posted 892,880 virus infections including 704,386 recoveries and 15,447 deaths, based on DOH data showed on Wednesday. — Consuelo Marquez and Michaela Del Callar/RSJ, GMA News