DOH requests monovalent COVID-19 vaccines from Covax facility

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has requested monovalent COVID-19 vaccines from the Covax facility, said DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Wednesday.

The facility offered the vaccines to the Philippines, but DOH specifically requested monovalent vaccines instead of bivalent vaccines due to the former’s better efficacy against the omicron XBB variant, the health chief explained.

“For COVID, may offer na magbigay sila ng vaccine sa atin. Ang hinihingi na natin is the monovalent XBB, ‘yung monovalent vaccine,” Herbosa told reporters on the sidelines of the Biyaheng Kalusugan: National Bike to Work Day press conference in Quezon City.

(For COVID, they offered to give us vaccines. What we are asking for is the monovalent XBB, the monovalent vaccine.)

“Hindi na ‘yung bivalent kasi nakita sa studies mas maganda ang effect ng monovalent on the omicron, kasi ‘yung bivalent mayroon pa nun ‘yung lumang virus ng COVID [na] extinct na,” he added.

(Not the bivalent because the studies found that the effect of the monovalent on the omicron is better because the bivalent still has the old COVID virus [that] is extinct.)

The health chief said that the vaccines will be administered to senior citizens and those with comorbidities once they arrive.

“‘Yung general population na nakatanggap na ng regular vaccine and booster, okay na sila,” he added.

(The general population that has already received the regular vaccine and booster is fine.)

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