390K doses of bivalent vaccines arrive from COVAX Facility
Published Jun 13, 2023 06:19 am
Three hundred ninety thousand doses of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility have arrived in the country, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa announced on Tuesday, June 13.
Photo courtesy of Department of Health Secretary Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa Facebook
"It was a donation, these were not procured and as of this moment as we speak, I think they have already been redistributed to the different regions of the Department of Health," he said in a mix of Filipino and English. The agency will prioritize giving bivalent vaccines as third booster jabs to the elderly population, people with comorbidities, and healthcare workers. Most of these were dispensed in the National Capital Region, and Herbosa noted that DOH is negotiating to acquire more since this would not suffice for the whole country. However, he admitted that there are "snag and issues" when it comes to procuring the vaccines as the World Health Organization had already lifted the public health emergency status of Covid-19. "There are more that want to donate; they are probably some procurement that we need to do. So there are only snags and issues because the public health emergency status is gone, the issues of the vaccine in terms of the EUA [Emergency Use Authorization] so to procure it we need to register it with our FDA [Food and Drug Administration]," Herbosa said. "Remember, we are not the only country that wants the bivalent, all countries are also vying for it," he added. The health chief has yet to advise on the distribution status of the bivalent vaccines but confirmed that once the local government units receive them from DOH regional hubs, they can already administer the jabs to the said priority groups.
Photo courtesy of Department of Health Secretary Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa Facebook
"It was a donation, these were not procured and as of this moment as we speak, I think they have already been redistributed to the different regions of the Department of Health," he said in a mix of Filipino and English. The agency will prioritize giving bivalent vaccines as third booster jabs to the elderly population, people with comorbidities, and healthcare workers. Most of these were dispensed in the National Capital Region, and Herbosa noted that DOH is negotiating to acquire more since this would not suffice for the whole country. However, he admitted that there are "snag and issues" when it comes to procuring the vaccines as the World Health Organization had already lifted the public health emergency status of Covid-19. "There are more that want to donate; they are probably some procurement that we need to do. So there are only snags and issues because the public health emergency status is gone, the issues of the vaccine in terms of the EUA [Emergency Use Authorization] so to procure it we need to register it with our FDA [Food and Drug Administration]," Herbosa said. "Remember, we are not the only country that wants the bivalent, all countries are also vying for it," he added. The health chief has yet to advise on the distribution status of the bivalent vaccines but confirmed that once the local government units receive them from DOH regional hubs, they can already administer the jabs to the said priority groups.
Vaccine is not the only weapon
Herbosa also stated that vaccines are the only weapon of the public against the virus. "We have learned so much in our pandemic. Some of you are wearing masks. So you understand this disease is airborne. We also understand that if you have symptom, stay at home, do not work," he said. He also emphasized that it is now time to focus on the economy, especially since doctors already know how to treat Covid-19. "We doctors already know how to treat you when you get Covid. And you don't hear much about dying anymore, do you? Because we already have the medicines, Molnupiravir and Remdesivir and we know how to treat Covid. So it is not new, so the story is not the same. But we will continue to push for people to get vaccinated because it will prevent you especially if you are at high risk from dying," he said. "So, let us not be afraid of that, if me as the Health Secretary of this country, my feeling is, it is now disease under surveillance, which is what the public, the WHO said, it is just like your influenza-like illnesses, wherein it is any like airborne respiratory infection, flu, cough and cold etc.," he added.Why makes bivalent vaccine "in demand"?
The bivalent vaccine contains two mRNA components, said the FDA. One of which corresponds to the original Wuhan strain that is broadly protective against Covid-19 while the other corresponds to the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 lineages. On June 3, the country also received 391,000 doses of bivalent vaccines from the Lithuanian government. This is the first batch of donated bivalent vaccines to the country and will also be administered to said groups.