DOH to purchase 6.9 million flu vaccines

MANILA, Philippines — After failing to procure influenza vaccines last year, the Department of Health (DOH) is set to purchase nearly seven million doses of flu shots for the country’s vulnerable population.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Rontgene Solante said the DOH would procure around 6.9 million doses of flu vaccines this year.

“That is for 2026. Hopefully, the vaccine company can make it available by May to June this year,” said Solante, who served as adviser on the joint DOH-World Health Organization’s “Workshop on Risk Assessment for Influenza” held in Quezon City yesterday.

Solante said senior citizens and health workers would be given priority in the flu vaccination.

During the influenza workshop, the DOH reported that it is “in the process of awarding the bidder,” Solante said.

Under the DOH’s “Historical Procurement of Influenza Doses,” for 2023 and 2024, the country was able to procure 3.6 million and 5.1 million doses, respectively.

Both batches of vaccines were fully utlilized.

There was no record of procurement of flu shots for 2025.

Solante said the procurement process resulted in the delay in the purchase of flu vaccines.

Apart from the procurement process undergoing revision, Solante also noted the lack of forecasting of how much must be procured.

“Forecasting limitations include lack of data of influenza in the local government units, problem in the reporting system, among others,” he said.

Solante, head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, earlier urged the public to avail themselves of updated flu vaccines to have better protection from influenza.

He advised the vulnerable population, the elderly and those with comorbidities to get immunized once the flu vaccine becomes available in the country.