The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for the bivalent Covid-19 vaccines made by vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
This was confirmed by DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a text message on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
The government is expected to start procuring bivalent vaccines early next year, Vergeire said last September.
The DOH has also started negotiating with the said vaccine makers for the possible purchase of this new type of Covid-19 vaccines.
Last August, the US FDA authorized the use of Covid-19 bivalent vaccines of both Moderna and Pfizer.
The DOH previously reported that this new generation of Covid-19 vaccine is effective against the Omicron variant and its subvariants
Last Dec. 23, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante urged the government to purchase the bivalent vaccine as this can provide added protection against Covid-19.
“If we are going to give the next vaccine–it should be the bivalent vaccine because most of the current prevailing variant of concern is related with Omicron,” he then said.