The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed the arrival of over 390,000 doses of donated bivalent Covid-19 vaccines in the Philippines.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, June 3, DOH said the country’s first batch of bivalent jabs was from the Lithuanian government.
Arrival of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines on Saturday, June 3 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City (Photo courtesy of DOH)
“The negotiation for the vaccines started as early as August 2022 and was finally offered by the Lithuanian Government last January 2023. Until then, the Philippine government, with the support of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expedited the processes and issuance of permits for the arrival of the vaccines,” said DOH.
These bivalent vaccines will be administered as a third booster dose for individuals aged 18 years old and above belonging to priority groups A1 or healthcare workers and A2 or senior citizens at least four to six months after inoculation with a second booster jab.
“Other population groups shall be made eligible, subject to availability of stocks and other changes in context such as relevant regulatory authorization, technical recommendations and executive directions,” said the health department.
According to DOH, the pilot roll-out of these vaccines will be conducted in selected hospitals and health facilities but they have yet to issue a definite target of when this will commence. They, however, explained that upon arrival of these vaccines, it will be immediately “transported to different regions and operating units for implementation and rollout."