390k doses of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines from Lithuania arrive in Philippines

More than 390,000 doses of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines donated by Lithuania arrived in the Philippines on Saturday night, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The vaccine doses were received by government officials, led by DOH Assistant Secretary Leonita Gorgolon, in a ceremony at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which was also attended by the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania, Julia Netta Vildzius Peña and the Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union to the Philippines, Dr. Ana-Isabel Sanchez-Ruiz.

Bivalent vaccines provide protection against the original COVID-19 strain, SARS-CoV-2, and Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, according to the DOH.

In August 2022, the DOH started negotiating to obtain supplies of bivalent vaccines. In January 2023, Lithuania offered to donate these vaccines.

"It is with great pleasure that we have received such generous donations from the Lithuanian Government and our sincerest gratitude to our partner agencies for being one with the DOH in seeing that within our reach is a bountiful future, one that is most achievable starting with ensuring that we have sufficient protection against the COVID-19 virus," DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

"Apart from these donations, the DOH is also in constant contact with the COVAX Facility with regard to getting additional doses of bivalent vaccines for the public," the agency added.

Under the DOH guidelines, healthcare workers and senior citizens will get priority access to the bivalent vaccines.

It also states that an individual may be vaccinated with the bivalent vaccines at least four to six months after receiving the second booster dose. —VBL, GMA Integrated News