Herbosa: Administration of bivalent vaccines must be done immediately

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday said bivalent COVID-19 vaccines should be administered immediately as these donated vaccines will expire in November.

Herbosa said it is now up to the local government units as the vaccines have been already distributed.

"Six months lang ang shelf life niyan, wala ng gamit. So kapag binili mo iyan out of the shelf, like this one, this donation, they end in November 23, that’s the expiry date. So, I need to start vaccinating people immediately," Herbosa said at a Palace press briefing.

(Its shelf life is only six months. So if you buy that out of the shelf, like this one, this donation, they end in November 23, that's the expiry date. So, I need to start vaccinating people immediately.)

"Dapat magtuloy na iyan with the LGUs. Once it’s there, puwede na iyan in the center. So, I will check after this meeting, that’s a very important question. I will check if the distribution has been done," he added.

(That should push through with the LGUs. Once it's there, they can already do that in the center. So, I will check after this meeting, that’s a very important question. I will check if the distribution has been done.)

More than 390,000 doses of bivalent vaccines donated by Lithuania have already been rolled out, mostly in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Department of Health earlier said.

Herbosa said those who would be prioritized in the bivalent vaccination are the elderly, those with comorbidities, and the healthcare workers.

Currently, only adults belonging to A1 (healthcare workers) and A2 (senior citizens) categories are allowed to receive the Pfizer bivalent vaccine as third booster dose.

They need to wait at least four months after receiving their second booster shot before they take the next one. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News