MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Romualdez has received his first dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine as part of Washington’s inoculation program.
“I received the first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine as part of the continuous rollout of Washington, D.C.’s phase-based vaccination program days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” Romualdez said in a statement posted of the Philippine embassy’s Facebook page on Tuesday.
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The Philippines is currently in final talks with Moderna for the procurement of up to 20 million doses of its vaccine.
“The creation and deployment of safe and effective vaccines take us a step closer to defeating this pandemic and restoring our economies,” Romualdez also said.
He then underscored the importance of close collaboration within the international community and between governments and private entities in ensuring the procurement of vaccines.
In the Philippines, the government is eyeing the rollout of the national inoculation program by February.