Government sets new National Vax Days

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) is mounting another round of National Vaccination Days to encourage more people nationwide to get their booster shots against COVID-19.

In a television interview, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire yesterday said the government is mounting a three-day national vaccination to make COVID-19 jabs more accessible.

“We are expanding efforts to give more first boosters, and now we have 19,000-plus vaccination sites all over the country,” Vergeire said. “We will have a Bakunahang Bayan from Dec. 5 to 7 to encourage more people and make vaccines more accessible to communities.”

She said the government is providing primary vaccines to all individuals five years old and above, first boosters to all 12 years old and above and 2nd boosters for senior citizens, health care workers and those with comorbidities and immune compromised.

Despite government efforts, Vergeire said many people have become hesitant to take COVID-19 jabs. But she stressed the need for people to get the COVID-19 booster as additional protection, especially this holiday season.

Vergeire said the health department is pushing for the passage of the proposed Center for Disease Control Law to enable the implementation of continued COVID-19 response, even after the national state of calamity ends by yearend.

But if the proposed measure is not enacted, Vergeire said the DOH will request for a three-month extension of the state of calamity.

Vaccine wastage

Senators are calling for transparency on the P15.6 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines or 31.3 million doses which were either wasted or not used.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the rate of vaccine wastage is still increasing.

“There is a steady trend of waste which means that efforts to curb it have been ineffective so far. Even if the WHO adjusted the threshold, we cannot afford the cost. We do not have the luxury of throwing more than P15.6 billion on the crisis and demand for funding of equally important government programs,” she said, referring to the World Health Organization.

Hontiveros asked Sen. Pia Cayetano during deliberations on the proposed 2023 budget of the Department of Health on Wednesday about vaccine wastage.

About P15.6 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines or 31.3 million doses were either wasted or unused, Cayetano said after conferring with Vergeire.

She noted that the country received a total of 250.38 million doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Among the reasons cited for the wastage are expiration, short shelf life, damage due to natural disasters as well as damage due to temperature, discoloration and particulate or floating matter.

Sen. Bong Go, chairman of the Senate committee on health, said everyone has the right to know why there was an excess of vaccines and why there was wastage.

“It’s our right to know why there was excess and why there was wastage. For transparency, (we should know) what really happened and so it won’t happen again and nothing will be wasted,” Go told Senate reporters.

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, for his part, said “let’s ask what’s the reason for the wastage of the vaccines, why was that wasted, what’s the reason, let’s start there how to avoid those reasons to happen again.” – Cecille Suerte Felipe