DOH says 44 million COVID vax syringes procured but notes delivery delays
FILE PHOTO: Syringes filled with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine sit on a table during vaccine clinic in Southfield, Michigan, U.S., September 29, 2021. REUTERS/Emily Elconin
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has already bought 44 million syringes for COVID-19 vaccines even before the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a possible shortage of one to two billion syringes in 2022, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday.
According to Vergeire, the government has anticipated a likely shortage of vaccine syringes as early as May amid a worldwide campaign to vaccinate people against COVID-19.
“We have ordered 44 million 0.3 ml syringes from the Unicef at the outset but when the WHO already informed us unofficially, minobilize na namin ‘yung aming (we already mobilized our) Pharmaceutical Division, Food and Drug Administration, and our Disease Prevention and Control Bureau para makapag map-out ng resources and explore sa mga suppliers para magkaroon ng (to map out resources and explore suppliers so we can have) stocks for these 0.3 ml syringes,” Vergeire said in an online media briefing.
She added that DOH regional units were earlier directed to instead use tuberculin syringes, which are being used for tuberculosis tests and are smaller compared to 0.3 ml syringes used for mRNA vaccines.
“Sa early part of this year, we have already placed our orders and our procurement process through the Unicef, but hanggang sa ngayon medyo nagkakaroon ng delays ang kanilang delivery sa atin. This is because of the apparent global shortage na sinasabi,” Vergeire said.
(At the early part of the year, we had already placed our orders through Unicef, but up to now, they are encountering delays in delivery. This is because of the apparent global shortage.)
“So sa ngayon ang ginagamit ng ating implementing units are tuberculin syringes that were procured through their money doon po sa ating regional offices,” she added.
(So currently, our implementing units are using tuberculin syringes that were procured through their money in our regional offices.)
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