CEBU, Philippines — Pfizer’s bivalent vaccines are currently unavailable in Central Visayas after the allocated doses in the region for priority groups have already been utilized.
At the moment, the Pfizer bivalent has been declared as the only COVID-19 vaccine in the country that can be administered as a booster dose among eligible individuals, four months after the completion or their primary series of their last booster dose (1st or 2nd booster dose).
Based on the Department of Health-VII’s data released yesterday, 95.73 percent of the nationwide allocated doses have been administered or an equivalent of 372,382 doses for the said vaccine.
For Central Visayas alone, DOH’s central office allocated 14,100 doses of the bivalent vaccine with all of them already being utilized since the middle of last month yet for the priority groups such as A1, A2, A3 and their sub-priority groups.
“Hence, we inform the public that Pfizer bivalent vaccines are no longer available at the DOH Central Visayas CHD inventories,” DOH-VII’s advisory said yesterday.
The DOH-VII CHD, in coordination with the local government units, local vaccination sites, private partners and stakeholders, started administering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible populations for their primary and booster doses in identified vaccination centers all over the region in March 2021.
Meanwhile, DOH is currently communicating with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to review existing guidelines and requirements for OFW employment and renewal.
“Rest assured that the DOH Central Visayas CHD will provide timely updates on vaccine availability immediately upon receipt of information from the DOH central office.”
For inquiries and concerns related to their latest advisory, one can email dohro7.covid19vaccination@gmail.com. (CEBU NEWS)