MANILA – The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines donated by Germany to the Philippines through the COVAX Facility have reached more than 10 million after 1,531,000 doses of the Moderna jab arrived on Thursday.

German Embassy Economic Counselor Georg Maue said the European country is happy to donate another batch in support of the Philippines’ “very good and well-functioning” vaccination program.

“With the pandemic continuing, we believe it’s very important to build on our strongest instrument, which we have and it is still vaccination,” Maue said in a media interview at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.

National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) chief and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., thanked Germany and the COVAX Facility for the latest donation.

“We would like to thank COVAX for their continued support to the Philippines, particularly its donors, the EU (European Union), which already donated more or less 60 million doses,” Galvez said.

He said the donations serve as a “Christmas gift” to all Filipinos nationwide.

On the other hand, he reiterated that all Filipinos who have received their second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at least three months ago are now eligible to receive their booster shot. (PNA)