Finance chief: Prices of COVID-19 shots bought by govt. range from $6.75-$27.59 per dose

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15) — Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Tuesday disclosed the cost range of COVID-19 shots procured by the national government.

The price per dose is from $6.75 (around P324) to $27.59 (about P1,234), he told a Senate hearing on the country's COVID-19 vaccination program.

"I am not privy to the reasons for the different pricing but what I can surmise is that maybe different terms, different volumes, and different products," Dominguez said when asked by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon about the "disparity" in costs.

He added it may also be based on what the country can pay.

A budget of P88.6-billion sourced from foreign loans and government coffers has been set aside for the country's COVID-19 vaccination program, Dominguez said.

He said the funds are enough to buy more than 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate 70 million adult Filipinos. He added the country may receive up to 204 million doses this year, including donations from the COVAX facility. Officials have said they aim to vaccinate more than 70% percent of the country's population once there is enough supply.

The government has signed supply agreements with Sinovac, Gamaleya, and Moderna. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said the Sinovac vaccine costs more or less P700 per dose.

Galvez said he cannot divulge the exact amount because of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the vaccine supplier.

Dominguez backed Galvez, adding the NDA is the "requirement of the suppliers, and we cannot disclose trade secrets, and including in the trade secrets are the pricing."

The country has so far received 12,705,870 COVID-19 vaccine doses, Galvez said.

Around seven million vaccine doses were administered, mostly as first shots, he added.