The province of Cavite has ordered three million doses of U.S. biotech firm Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, its governor said Wednesday, as the country expands its immunization program.
Some 1.5 million Cavite residents can be vaccinated for free once the jabs arrive between July and December this year, Gov. Jonvic Remulla said.
"Nasa P1.8 Billion ang budget na pinagtulungan nga mga LGU. Kasama na dito ang logistics, storage, delivery at registration process," Remulla said in a Facebook post.
Last month, Novavax said its COVID-19 vaccine was shown to be 100% protective against severe cases of the disease, including hospitalization and death.
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The Novavax vaccines, according to Remulla, will only be used for those age 18-65 in Cavite since senior citizens and frontliners are included in the national government's priority list for COVID-19 vaccination.
"We expect delivery in July and not later than December," Remulla said.
The governor also urged the public to get vaccinated once jabs become available, and dismissed "quack" beliefs about vaccines.
"We need the vaccine to bring a stop to COVID-19. Wala ring magagawa ang mga 'quack' na paniniwala. Throughout modern history, the vaccine has long been proven to be effective in stopping the spread of pandemics," he said.
"During these critical times, the more we need to rely on the medical and scientific process."
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