DOH: 69% of donated bivalent COVID-19 shots administered so far

MANILA, Philippines — The government has administered a large majority of the donated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines and is expecting more jabs to arrive, the Department of Health said Tuesday. 

In a press briefing, Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag said that 69% of the 390,000 bivalent shots donated by Lithuania in June have been administered to healthcare workers, senior citizens, and adults with comorbidities as of Monday. 

The donated bivalent jabs—which offer protection against the original COVID-19 virus and the Omicron variant—are set to expire in January 2024.

“Given the rapid uptake of the vaccines, they’re unlikely to last until then,” Tayag said in Filipino. 

Initially recommended as a third booster, bivalent vaccines can now be administered as a first or second booster. 

But the health official also stressed that bivalent vaccines are not yet available to the general population. 

“To those who are not part of the three [priority] categories, we do not recommend that you receive this kind of vaccine,” Tayag said. 

Since 2021, more than 78.4 million have been fully immunized against COVID-19, but only 23.8 million individuals have received boosters.

The Philippines has confirmed over four million COVID-19 cases, with over 66,000 deaths, since the pandemic began in early 2020. 

Local health authorities have detected 12 cases of EG.5, which was designated as a variant under monitoring by the World Health Organization. The WHO noted that EG.5 may cause a rise in cases and become dominant in some countries. — Gaea Katreena Cabico