The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is preparing additional funding support for the government’s purchase of coronavirus vaccines following the initial loan allotment for this year.
In a statement, the Manila-based multilateral financial institution said a follow-on support is being considered by th
January 28, 2021
Southeast Asian nations continue to seek help from international partners to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in securing access to vaccines. China is eagerly answering the call. The United States, by contrast, has been a non-factor in the region’s early vaccine diplomacy. This absence fuels a false narrative that a battered and insular United States cannot help lead the world out of this crisis. It also heightens fears that some Southeast Asian governments could find Chinese vaccines their only options, at least for a while, and that Beijing might take advantage of this fact to demand onerous political or economic concessions.
MANILA (Philippine DailyInquirer/ANN): The Philippines is seeking a fresh loan of US$300 million from the World Bank to purchase vaccines for Covid-19, according to documents from the multilateral lender seen by the Inquirer on Saturday (Jan 2).
Recent good news on vaccines for COVID-19 brings us closer to ending the acute phase of this terrible pandemic. But the sense of collective relief must be accompanied by a healthy dose of reality.