According to Iloilo Rep. and former health secretary Janette Garin, aside from four million expiring COVID-19 vaccines bought by the private sector, there are an additional 23 million doses donated and procured by the government that are set to expire.
As only 152,012,792 of the 245,23,560 vaccine doses procured by the government has been utilized, Garin is pushing for the second booster against COVID-19 to be given to the general population, instead of allowing the vaccines to go to waste.
Currently, second booster is only allowed among health care workers, senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals.
There are warnings of another major surge in cases if booster shots are not administered soonest, even if the country has already achieved herd immunity with regard to the first two doses. Garin said that those who don’t get booster shots are undervaccinated and are at increased risk of severe symptoms, hospitalization or even death.
About 71.6 million have already been vaccinated with the first two doses of the vaccine, enough to achieve herd immunity. However, only 15 million have received booster jabs so far, leaving 56 million Filipinos underprotected from the coronavirus that is still infecting people.
The vaccines are already there and will be wasted if not used soon. As the first booster shot campaigns of local government units flounder, badly in need of a boost from the officials responsible for making use of the vaccines that have been procured and provided, Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion is urging the Health Technology Assessment Council to allow second booster vaccinations for the general population.
The Philippines is a poor country mired in debt, still struggling to recover from the economic devastation wrought by the pandemic. We cannot afford to waste the vaccines that have been procured by the government and are already near expiration date. Our government has to make the best use of our vaccine stocks that are the best weapon against the coronavirus pandemic by delivering more booster shots, first or second, to as many Filipinos as possible, ASAP.*
