391,000 bivalent Covid-19 vaccines due next week

Around 391,000 doses of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in the Philippines next week, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Tuesday, May 16.

DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario SinghVergeire, in a media forum on Tuesday afternoon, said the World Health Organization’s lifting of Covid-19 global health emergency does not affect the country’s procurement of bivalent vaccines.

“Natapos na natin lahat ng kailangang isumite. Nagbigay naman ng commitment ang bansang magbibigay sa atin that by next week we will receive it already (We have finished everything that needs to be submitted. The country that will give it to us also gave a commitment that by next week we will receive it already),” said Vergeire in a mix of English and Filipino.

Vergeire refuted circulating claims that the DOH purposely delayed the procurement of bivalent Covid-19 jabs, saying that they have been coordinating with vaccine manufacturers since August 2022.

“Nagkataon lang na kahit dire-diretso ang negosasyon na ito ay nagkaroon ng obstacle o roadblock kasi nalift ang state of calamity at naapektuhan ang authority natin to procure bivalent vaccines (It just happened that even though this negotiation was continuous, there was an obstacle or roadblock because the state of calamity was lifted and our authority to procure bivalent vaccines was affected),” Vergeire said.

“Walang katotohanan na nag delay ang DOH (There is no truth that the DOH delayed (the procurement),” she stressed.

According to health experts, bivalent Covid-19 vaccines provide better protection against particular types of the virus such as the immune-evasive and transmissible Omicron.