THE Philippines is set to receive bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in the first quarter of this year from the COVAX facility, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said yesterday.
Vergeire said COVAX, a worldwide initiative aimed at ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, has “committed” to donate bivalent vaccines to the Philippines.
“The target is (for us) to receive these donations within the first quarter of this year,” she said in a TV interview.
The bivalent vaccines target both the Omicron variant and the original form of COVID-19.
Asked how many doses will be donated by the global facility, Vergeire said, “We are finalizing the numbers. (But) This will be enough for our first priority population.”
Around 2 million healthcare workers form the A1 priority group.
Aside from those to be sent by COVAX, Vergeire said, some countries have also committed to donate bivalent jabs.
Previously, the DOH said it is planning to make available bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in the country by the first quarter of this year.
The Department of Health has started talks with vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna for the provision of bivalent jabs to the Philippines.
Vergeire said the negotiations with Pfizer and Moderna are ongoing.
“We have a parallel move, wherein we will go through the regular procurement process of the government so that we can purchase these (bivalent) vaccines,” she said.
She reiterated the Philippines will not procure a large number of vaccines to ensure minimal wastage.
“We have this agreement with the manufacturers that we will just procure a certain number. We can just readily procure again (if necessary),” she said Vergeire.
The country started the COVID-19 vaccination program in March 2021. As of January 29, some 73.83 million individuals have been fully-vaccinated, and around 21.34 million have been given booster shots.
