THE arrival of the first batch of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in the country, which the Department of Health earlier said is expected this week, is facing another delay.
In a brief statement, the DOH said the 391,000 doses of bivalent jabs donated by a still unidentified country is facing a “slight delay” “as there are permits that are still needed to be coordinated.”
Last week, the DOH said the donated bivalent jabs are expected to arrive in the Philippines this week based on a commitment from the donor country.
Last March, the Philippines expected the arrival of 1,002,000 bivalent doses to be donated by the COVAX Facility. The delivery, however, failed to push through due to the absence of clauses on immunity from liability and indemnification in agreements as required by vaccine manufacturers.
The DOH assured the public it is working for the delivery from the donor country this month.
As for the guidelines of its rollout, the health department said preparations with implementing agencies have been completed.
“The Department Memorandum has already been signed and is only awaiting for its release,” said the DOH. — Gerard Naval
