NTF to replace wasted vaccines in 'Odette'-hit areas
All the coronavirus disease vaccines that were damaged in areas hit by typhoon “Odette” last month will be replaced by the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, a government official assured Sunday, Jan. 9.
Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, head of NTF strategic communications on current operations, said the country has enough supply of vaccines that could be used to replenish the wasted ones when Odette hit parts of Visayas and Mindanao on Dec. 16, 2021.
“Kung may mga nasira, wala naman tayong magagawa kasi bagyo naman iyon, we really cannot avoid that. Papalitan iyon. Marami pa tayong reserve (If there are damaged , we cannot do anything because it is a typhoon, we really cannot avoid that. We will just have to replace them. We have a lot of reserve),” Mayor said.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), at least 21,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were wasted during the onslaught of Odette in the province of Iloilo, and in Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), and Caraga (Region 13).
The country has a total vaccine supply of 213,487,520 doses. It includes the 2,703,870 doses of Pfizer vaccine that arrived on Sunday afternoon from the donation of the United States government through the COVAX facility.
Out of the total supply, the government has administered 110 million doses, leaving around 113 million doses in stockpile. A total of 50,627,196 individuals have been fully vaccinated; 57,254,482 have received their first dose; and 2,207,941 have been given booster shots.
However, Mayor said the replacement of vaccines will take some time since some typhoon-affected areas still have no electricity which could compromise the potency of the jabs. Vaccines, he emphasized, should be preserved in cold storage facilities.
“Doon sa tinamaan ng Odette kasi walang kuryente, iyon ang isa. Hindi sustainable ang power doon. Hindi pa siya appropriate na magpadala ngayon (In some areas that were hit by Odette, there are no power supply, that’s one . Power supply is not sustainable. It is not yet appropriate to send new supplies),” Mayor said.
“Pangalawa, ang priority ng mga tao ngayon siyempre ang kabuhayan muna nila at saka ang bahay, pagkain. Iyon ang priority doon. But again iyong mga nasira definitely papalitan iyon kung mayroon (Secondly, the priority of the people there is livelihood, house, and food. That’s their priority. But again, the wasted , if there are any, will be replaced),” he said.