Philippines receives more Sinovac vaccines from China

Residents are inoculated with the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine inside an evacuation center in Batangas Province, the Philippines on July 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

China was the first to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the Philippines. It donated the first batch of CoronaVac to Manila on Feb. 28, allowing the country to kick off its vaccination drive on March 1. As of Thursday, China had been the biggest supplier of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.

MANILA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China delivered an additional batch of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccines to the Philippines on Thursday to support the Southeast Asian country's campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque and Carlito Galvez, the official in charge of vaccine procurement, received the fresh shipment of CoronaVac purchased from the Chinese manufacturer, which arrived before 8 a.m. local time at the airport.

China was the first to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the Philippines. It donated the first batch of CoronaVac to Manila on Feb. 28, allowing the country to kick off its vaccination drive on March 1. As of Thursday, China had been the biggest supplier of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.

A cargo containing the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines is seen upon arrival in Manila, the Philippines, June 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

The Philippines has administered more than 15.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of July 20. More than 5 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far. The government aims to vaccinate up to 70 million people this year.

The Philippines had reported a total of 1,524,449 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, including 26,874 deaths.