The official launching of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination at the Philippine Heart Center, Quezon City on June 21, 2023. The kick-off event served as the ceremonial vaccination of healthcare workers and senior citizens- A1 and A2 population. (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Around 23,500 bivalent COVID-19 vaccines remain unused more than two months after the country received nearly 400,000 donated vaccines from Lithuania.
“Based on the report this morning, about 94 percent have been consumed out of the over 390,000 doses” of bivalent vaccines, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Monday during the launch of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition.
He said the department’s target was to administer by the end of August all 391,860 Pfizer bivalent vaccine doses received from Lithuania on June 3.
“However, it took us until this September to consume all the 390,000 doses,” he said. He added the Philippines had requested around 2 million more bivalent vaccines from the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility.
“[At this rate] we may not be able to use them up, especially if they have short shelf lives,” Herbosa said.
He added the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines has slowed down worldwide.
“Generally even in other countries, people are no longer scared of COVID-19. That’s why we have these donations,” said Herbosa.