Philippines secures 30 million Novavax vaccine doses; Covid-19 total now almost 490,000

A man wearing a face mask as protection against the coronavirus disease walks past a mural dedicated to frontline workers, in Manila, Philippines, on Monday (Jan 11, 2021). - Reuters

MANILA Jan 11, 2021 (AFP/ Xinhua): The Philippines has secured 25 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac, and an additional 30 million doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII), officials announced on Monday, as the country braces for a surge in infections after a huge religious event.

This is only the second vaccine deal signed by the national government, which has faced growing criticism for its slowness in procuring jabs for the archipelago where nearly half a million infections have been recorded.