DOH: No expired vaccines being administered

Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire during the press conference at the Department of Health central office on Aug. 16, 2022. (File photo by NOY MORCOSO / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Health authorities assured the public that no expired COVID-19 vaccines will be administered after concerns were raised over expiry labels on the vaccine vials.

Department of Health (DOH) officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said all COVID-19 vaccines that were nearing expiry have been given extended shelf life after consultation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the manufacturers.

“There is no truth that what we are distributing as booster shots for COVID-19 doses are expired,” she said in a news conference at the DOH headquarters on Monday.

“Everybody knows this. When these vaccines were near expiry, we coordinated with FDA so they can coordinate with the manufacturers to determine if they can extend the shelf life,” she explained, adding that the decision to extend the shelf life of the vaccines underwent careful study.

“So whatever we are distributing now to our communities are vaccines within expiry dates, meaning they are still effective and safe because we were able to extend their shelf life,” she said.

Vergeire admitted that the expiry date labels on the vaccines that are nearing expiry were not replaced “because many of the manufacturers have stopped production already so we cannot return these vials to change the expiry dates on their label.”

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