The Philippines on Friday received 1.4 million Pfizer and Sputnik vaccines, as it sought to jab at least 1.5 million daily to safely reopen the economy towards Christmas.
A total of 400,000 Sputnik V vaccines arrived on Thursday, covering the first and second doses of 200,000 adult Filipinos. The Pfizer shipment meant for minors contained 1,014,390 doses, of which 813,150 doses were for Metro Manila, 100,620 doses for Cebu, and 100,620 doses for Davao City.
The country also recently expanded vaccinations for 12 to 17 year-olds with at least one hopsital per city and municipality in Metro Manila administering the jabs. Some 4,000 children with comorbities got vaccinated, four of which suffered from minor reactions, said Sec. Carlito Galvez, the country's vaccine czar.
Only Pfizer and Moderna were cleared for use on the younger population. Galvez said the government was hoping more vaccine manufacturers would get similar clearance from the Food and Drug Administration.
ALSO READ: Minors With These Conditions are Priority for COVID Vaccines
The shipments brought the country's total Sputnik V inventory to 1.7 million. For Pfizer, 11,682,450 doses out of the 40 million doses the country has purchased from the U.S.-based pharmaceutical firm have been delivered.
According to the National Task Force on the pandemic, total vaccine inventory as of Oct. 21 is now at 92,963,010.