Japan will be donating AstraZeneca vaccines against COVID-19 to various countries, including the Philippines, said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III Tuesday.

Speaking before the Senate committee of the whole virtually, Dominguez said: “Japan Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi just announced this morning the donation of Japan-made AstraZeneca vaccines to some countries, including the Philippines.”

”We have not yet been informed officially of the number of doses that are going to be donated by Japan,” said Dominguez.

Dominguez also said the decision by the G-7 nations in its weekend summit to donate one billion doses ”could significantly increase” the country’s vaccine supply.

He said the Philippines is assured of 149, 833, 561 vaccines backed by binding term sheets and supply agreements backed by foreign loans, the country’s budget and donations from other countries and the COVAX facility.

Out of this number 12.7 million has so far been delivered to the local governments and private sector will even complement the country’s vaccine procurement, said Dominguez.

The law has allowed the private sector to negotiate 24.9 million doses, which could bring indicative doses to 174.7 million doses, he said.

”Adding those in the pipeline, total doses could reach 204 million doses,” Dominguez said. DMS