The Philippines received two million doses of Chinese-made Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines over two days, boosting the country's supply of jabs to thwart the surge of infections, authorities said Saturday.
The first batch of 739,200 Sinopharm doses arrived in Manila late on Fridayfollowed by another 260,800 doses on Saturday morning. Another one million Sinovac doses were delivered on Saturday.
President Rodrigo Duterte thanked China for the donation.
"My deepest gratitude goes to China for the various COVID-19 assistance extended in the past, including the donation of vital medical supplies and equipment and the provision of technical support on COVID-19 response," he said on a televised speech on Friday.
The vaccines will be deployed to Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Central Luzon and other areas tallying spikes in COVID-19 infections, said Health Sec. Francisco Duque III.