The Philippines launched its national corona virus vaccination campaign on Monday despite the widespread controversy and a struggle to procure vaccines.   

Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, the Director of the state-run Philippine General Hospital in Manila, received the first dose of the Corona Virus vaccine developed by China-based Sinovac Biotech Limited.  The doctor’s inoculation came just hours after President Rodrigo Duterte greeted the arrival of 600,000 doses of Sinovac donated by Beijing. 

The Philippines being the last South-east Asian nation to receive the COVID-19 vaccine supply.  The Duterte administration is aiming to vaccinate 70 million of its citizens, but some public opinion polls have revealed opposition among a majority of people due to uncertainty over the safety and efficacy of the CoronaVac vaccine

Carlito Galvez, who is leading the Philippines’ in vaccine procurement, has advised people to get the first vaccine that becomes available.  

  Giving a speech at the Philippine General Hospital, Galvez said “There’s no such thing as the best vaccine, the best vaccine is the one that’s safe and effective, and arrives early.” 

 An expected shipment of 525,600 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine that was due on Monday has been postponed due to supply problems.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the Pacific archipelago, sickening more than 576,000 people, including 12,318 deaths, the second-highest in the region.   The President of the Philipines  Duterte has promised to ease some of the covid 19  restrictions imposed in an effort to boost the Philippine economy once more vaccines are  made available.