DOH sets aside funds to procure new kinds of vaccines vs COVID variants

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it has already set aside funds for new types of COVID-19 vaccines made to fight against other more transmissible variants, once they have been made available for the general population.

According to the DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a media forum on Tuesday, these new vaccines are believed to be more effective in comparison to the presently available vaccines against COVID-19.

“We have already discussed this and we have reserved some budget for us to procure these kinds of vaccines if and when lumabas na siya para sa (once it has already been made available for the) entire population,” said Vergeire.

The vaccines Vergeire was referring to were the bivalent and multivalent vaccines that were specifically formulated to work against the more mutations of the more transmissible variants of COVID-19 like Omicron

Vergeire noted that currently, the recent subvariants of Omicron have more mutations, which is why the current vaccines have been “ having a hard time protecting each individuals.”

“Ngayon ang sinasabi nilang maganda dito sa mga makabagong bakuna na ilalabas, it can cover mutations and specifically address these mutations kaya mas magiging mas mabisa siya kesa dito sa current vaccines na meron tayo,” said Vergeire.

(Now what they say is good about the new vaccines that will be released is that they can cover mutations and specifically address these mutations so they will be more effective than the current vaccines that we have.)

Manufacturers of the vaccines may release the vaccines by October, said Vergeire, but clarified that there are still certain processes the country must follow before it becomes available to Filipinos.

Manufacturers should first apply for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration, and then local experts must first study the said vaccines.

“Meron pa rin proseso for us to evaluate as for the equity and ‘yun pong cost effectiveness na ine-evaluate ng HTAC (Health Technology Assessment Council),” said Vergeire.

(There is still a process for us to evaluate the equity and that cost-effectiveness that is to be evaluated by HTAC.)

“So it’s EUA plus the HTAC tiyaka po natin magagamit ‘yan (before we can actually use it),” she added.

RELATED STORIES:

DOH records 1,011 more cases of BA.5 Omicron subvariant 

DOH open to new jabs, but sees no need yet 

UK clears new Moderna vaccine targeting Omicron variant 

JPV