Vaccine expiry not an issue – mayors

MANILA, Philippines — AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine doses would be consumed long before they expire in June and July, according to Mayors Toby Tiangco of Navotas and Lino Cayetano of Taguig.

“With the issue of AstraZeneca vaccines expiring on June 30 and July 31, I say we will finish AstraZeneca in 12 days. We won’t even reach June 1,” Tiangco told “The Chiefs” on Cignal’s One News/TV5 on Friday.

Cayetano branded as “insensitive” and “nonsense” earlier reports on the expiration of AstraZeneca vaccines.

“Metro Manila can dispose of the vaccines in two weeks. On the part of Taguig, we can do it in seven days,” he said during the ceremonial inoculation of Pfizer’s vaccine, also donated by the COVAX Facility, last Thursday.

The two mayors said local governments should focus on convincing more people, especially the elderly, to have themselves vaccinated against COVID.

Tiangco said only around 8,000 or 26 percent out of the estimated 30,000 senior citizens signed up online for the city government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

“The challenge is to convince senior citizens especially in the low-income bracket… they are conservative when it comes to vaccines,” he said.

To persuade them to get a jab, the city government has allowed walk-in registration of senior citizens at selected sites.

The city government is set to roll out Pfizer vaccines at the Navotas City Hospital tomorrow. So far, Tiangco said 13.33 percent of the target population were vaccinated.

Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said yesterday that only 20 percent of the 58,000 senior citizens who registered for the city’s vaccination program showed up.

“We’re going to push local senior citizen influencers like organization presidents to encourage their members to get vaccinated,” he said.