Pending review: COVAX bivalent jab donation 'on hold'

CEBU, Philippines —  The delivery of donated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines has been put on hold pending review by legal authorities, the Department of Health said on Tuesday.

The bivalent COVID-19 jabs donated by the World Health Organization-backed COVAX facility were supposed to arrive in the country by the end of March. But in a briefing, Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Office of the President, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Department of Justice are studying legal remedies on the indemnification and immunity from liability required by vaccine makers.

The state of calamity declaration, which had clauses on indemnification and immunity, expired on December 31. The declaration of state of calamity allows the continued implementation of measures to combat the health crisis.

“We have tried exhausting all possible means so that this transaction will push through,” Vergeire said.

“For now, it has been put on hold. But we are confident that we can still push through and get this COVAX donation,” she added.

A bivalent vaccine targets both the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 and Omicron subvariants.

More than 78.4 million people have completed vaccination against COVID-19. However, only 23.8 million individuals have gotten boosters.

Vergeire called for the passage of a measure creating the country’s own Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), which includes a provision on vaccine deals.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently certified as urgent Senate Bill 1869, or the CDC bill. The House version of the proposed legislation was approved on the third and final reading last December 2022.

In a statement, the DOH said the CDC will serve as the technical authority on forecasting, analysis, strategy, and standards development for the prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases and health security events, whether domestic or international.

The creation of a local CDC will also improve the country’s epidemiological and public health surveillance and strengthen the capacity of public health laboratories. — Philstar.com (FREEMAN)