DOH chief: vaccines to expire by November

HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday pointed to the need for “immediate” administration of the donated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as they will expire in November.

Herbosa said the said vaccines have a shelf life of only until November 23, hence they should be used immediately.

“Six months lang ang shelf life niyan, wala ng gamit. So kapag binili mo iyan out of the shelf, like this one, this donation, they end (on) November 23, that’s the expiry date. So, I need to start vaccinating people immediately,” he said.

The health chief noted that it is now up to the local government units (LGUs) since the vaccines may have already been distributed.

“Dapat magtuloy na iyan with the LGUs. Once it’s there, puwede na iyan in the center. So, I will check after this meeting, that’s a very important question. I will check if the distribution has been done,” he said.

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier reported that more than 390,000 doses of bivalent vaccines donated by Lithuania have already been rolled out, mostly in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Herbosa said those who would be prioritized in the bivalent vaccination are the elderly, those with comorbidities, and healthcare workers.

Currently, only adults belonging to A1 (healthcare workers) and A2 (senior citizens) categories are allowed to receive the Pfizer bivalent vaccine as a third booster dose.

They need to wait at least four months after receiving their second booster shot before they take the next one.

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Yvonne P. Cervantes