Slight delays seen in delivery of bivalent COVID-19 jabs
MANILA, Philippines — There will be delays in the arrival of bivalent vaccines to the country, the Department of Health said on Tuesday, citing the expiration of the state of calamity for COVID-19.
The department earlier said the first batch of donated bivalent COVID-19 jabs will arrive by the end of March. A bivalent vaccine targets both the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 and Omicron subvariants.
“For the bivalent vaccines, we are just having slight delays,” Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in Filipino.
Vergeire cited the expiration of the state of calamity declaration on December 31, which had clauses on indemnification and immunity from liability required by vaccine makers and other partners.
“We are seeking guidance from the Office of the President if we can enter into this agreement with immunity from liability and indemnification clauses included so we go ahead with our transactions and discussions,” she said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not extend the state of calamity declaration, saying in December 2022 that the country was “not in a state of calamity anymore, technically speaking.”
The declaration of state of calamity allows the continued implementation of measures to combat the ongoing pandemic.
Healthcare workers, senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities will be prioritized in the rollout of bivalent jabs.
More than 78.4 million individuals were fully immunized against COVID-19, latest data from the DOH showed. However, only 23.8 million people received boosters.
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