AFTER a slight delay, donated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines finally arrived in the Philippines.
The Department of Health said the over 390,000 doses which arrived on Saturday night came from Lithuania.
“The donated bivalent vaccines will help boost the Philippines’ COVID-19 response by providing protection against the original COVID-19 strain, SARS-CoV-2, and Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a statement.
The DOH said Lithuania offered to donate the vaccines in January. The vaccines had been expected to arrive last month but the delivery encountered logistical and administrative issues.
The country has also been trying to get bivalent vaccines from the COVAX Facility but the shipment that was originally expected to arrive in March is still on hold.
The Lithuanian vaccine donation, which arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City late Saturday, was received by Health Assistant Secretary Leonita Gorgolon along with representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Lithuanian Consulate in the Philippines, and the European Union.
The DOH said it continues to coordinate with the COVAX Facility on getting additional bivalent vaccines.
With an initial batch of bivalent jabs already in the country, the DOH called on the eligible sectors anew to get the free shots.
Earlier, DOH guidelines said the bivalent vaccines will be used as third booster shots for healthcare workers, who belong to the A1 category in the priority list of recipients of COVID-19, and senior citizens (A2).
The guidelines also state that an individual may be vaccinated with the bivalent vaccines after at least four to six months after receiving the second booster shot.
