Philippines rolls out bivalent COVID-19 vaccines

MANILA, Philippines — As the Department of Health (DOH) started inoculating health care workers (HCWs) and the immunocompromised population with bivalent vaccines against COVID-19 yesterday, President Marcos appealed to Filipinos not to be complacent.

Marcos, who contracted and recovered from COVID twice, emphasized anew the vital role of the vaccines in protecting the vulnerable groups, including the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, against severe illness.

“So we must not let our guard down. Although the rest of society – the other sectors of our society – have tried to move on and say the emergency is over and certainly in a way we can say that is the case. However, it is not over completely,” the President said in his speech at the launch of the bivalent vaccines at the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) in Quezon City.

“And that is why we should not be complacent and that is why we institute programs like this, which continue to seek to protect our vulnerable populace, vulnerable sectors of our populace and that particular demographic in this case is that of the elderly,” Marcos, who is a senior citizen, added.

The government of Lithuania donated 391,860 doses of Comirnaty Pfizer-BioNTech-adapted bivalent vaccines to the Philippines through the World Health Organization-led COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility.

The first batch of bivalent vaccines arrived in the country last June 3. The bivalent jabs will expire in November, said Health Secretary Ted Herbosa.

Five hundred health workers at the PHC, including Herbosa, received the booster shots yesterday.

The President thanked Lithuania for their generosity and hopes to further deepen the cooperation with the European nation. The Chief Executive also expressed his gratitude to COVAX for its continuing assistance to the Philippines during and after the pandemic.

The bivalent vaccines will be given as third booster dose to the priority groups such as HCWs and the elderly or the A1 and A2 population at DOH-designated health facilities.

“I urge all of us to remain relentless in our fight against COVID-19 and all other infectious diseases that threaten the country,” the President said.

“As long as we exhibit discipline, observe cleanliness and practice cooperation, we will overcome the residual challenges that are still posed by COVID-19 and emerge stronger than ever as members of a healthy, resilient and productive Philippine society,” he said.

At least 78.4 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 23.8 million have received at least one booster dose.

Earlier, Herbosa said the government would continue securing supplies of the bivalent vaccines in coordination with COVAX and other countries to protect the Filipino people from the virus and prevent its possible resurgence and transmission.

He said 108,000 doses have been deployed for Metro Manila while the rest are being distributed all over the country.As additional protection against COVID-19, over 50,000 eligible residents of Region 4-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon or Calabarzon) are to be given bivalent vaccines.

DOH-Calabarzon Regional Director Ariel Valencia said they have already started administering the bivalent vaccine on HCWs, seniors and those with comorbidities since Tuesday.

“COVID-19 and its variants still persist and can still threaten our lives. The role of boosters is crucial for stronger protection against COVID-19,” Valencia, speaking partly in Filipino, said.

The region has received 52,740 doses, aiming to vaccinate all 244,052 eligible individuals.

In related news, the measles, rubella and bivalent oral poliovirus supplemental immunization activity in DOH-Ilocos (Region 1) achieved a vaccination coverage of 91 percent.

“We have closed the immunization gap and prevented measles outbreaks and poliovirus recirculation in the region,” said regional director Paula Paz Sydiongco, noting that the successful vaccination rate has closed the immunization gap and prevented outbreaks in the country’s northernmost region.

Face masks

While the COVID-19 situation in the country may be improving, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is advising the public to continue wearing face masks to protect themselves against other diseases.

In an interview over Radio Veritas, Fr. Dan Cancino, executive secretary of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Health Care, said that wearing face masks offer protection against other diseases like tuberculosis and pollution. – Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan