The Philippines has the emergency use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-vaccine coronavirus vaccine days after US suspended use due to a rare side effect.
The Philippines Food Administration has approved J & J’s application, Vaccine Secretary Carlito Galvez said in a televised briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night. It looks to 10 million doses of J&J, Galvez said.
The Philippines insists on speeding up vaccinations and targets all adults inoculating in the middle of a new surge in coronavirus infections that have has dampened its economic prospects.
J&J interrupts the risks of hesitation, even if US sees enough shots
India based Bharat Biotech International Ltd. ‘s vaccine has also been approved for emergency use, CNN Philippines said, referring to Philippine FDA chief Eric Domingo. Vaccines from Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca Plc., Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and the Russian Gamaleya National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology had previously received similar approvals.
The Southeast Asian country expects as many as 14 million doses of vaccine this quarter, mostly from Sinovac and Gamaleya, Galvez said. Nearly 200,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine could also arrive this month, he said.
Other highlights
- Predicted wages due to five weeks of rigid movements in the capital and nearby provinces will reach 83.3 billion pesos, Economic Planning Minister Karl Chua said in the same briefing.
- Crude rice production in the first quarter increased by 7.2% from a year ago to 4.57 million tons. The Philippines, one of the world’s largest rice importers, aims to produce a record 20.4 million tonnes this year, or 93% of its needs, William Dar said.
- The Philippines plans to import about 400,000 tons of pork this year to help meet this year’s requirement of 1.62 million tons, Dar said.