Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr., however, last week said there would be a "slight delay" in the delivery due to logistical problems. The COVAX Facility earlier informed participating countries that deliveries of doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII) would be delayed due to India's increased demand for vaccines. The Philippines is the last country in the ASEAN region to start its vaccination program against COVID-19 after legal vaccines were injected into the public on March 1. Vaccines were inoculated to members of the military last year, specifically to the Presidential Security Group, as confirmed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has maintained that such shipments were absent of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and were therefore smuggled. Outside the Philippines, Thailand is set to receive an additional 10 million doses of AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines as it ramps up efforts to restart tourism.