COVID-19 vaccine wastage may reach as much as 60 million doses by the end of September this year if government does not ramp up its vaccination program and improve the vaccination rate.
This came up yesterday as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee conducted its last inquiry on the refusal of the Department of Health to release details of the vaccine procurement program because of a non-disclosure agreement with manufacturers.
Sen. Francis Tolentino, panel chairman, said he has information that around 6.74 million COVID-19 vaccines will expire from March to September this year as follows: Pfizer at 7.36 million doses by April 2023, Sinovac at 2.16 million doses by September and October this year, and another set of Sinovac vaccines at 13,040 doses in May.
“So, the number of doses pending that will expire would be probably total to an additional 6.47 million doses. So, if this will happen, that will be 44 million plus 6.74 million doses for a total of 50.74 million wasted vaccines. Is that a correct addition made by the chair?” Tolentino said.
Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire confirmed Tolentino’s information.
“Yes, that might happen but now based on the inventory, the succeeding expiry dates of the vaccines would be in September 2023, while we have in May 2023 around 13,000 doses to be added to the expirees if these will not be consumed. But the succeeding expiration dates would already be in September 2023 plus we have around 6.9 million doses of vaccines which are currently quarantined, as we define it, since we are still awaiting from the manufacturers and FDA if these can be allowed to have an extension of shelf life,” said Vergeire, officer-in-charge of the Department of Health.
Tolentino said the “quarantined” vaccines totaling 6,995,350 doses, if not used, will add up to the projected 50.74 million doses to be wasted by end of September for a total of more than 60 million doses.
“If they will not be used because of vaccine hesitancy and perhaps the misinterpretation as to the normalcy we have now, they will add up to more than 60M in the long run,” Tolentino said.
INTEGRATED VACCINATION
Vergeire said she agrees with Tolentino but the department has been doing everything to reduce the number of vaccines that may be wasted.
She said the DOH has now integrated COVID-19 vaccination in the government’s regular community vaccination programs “whereby the vaccines are now more accessible to our Filipino people anytime and anywhere they can already access the vaccines through their health facilities.”
She said the DOH has been coordinating with local government units for intensified vaccine awareness so as to increase the number of people who may want to get inoculated, and has partnered with national government agencies and the private sector to expand the vaccination program.
Vergeire said the DOH is currently averaging 46,000 doses injected a week, which brings to the total count of vaccinated against COVID-19 to 94.2 percent of the eligible population, or around 73.8 million Filipinos fully vaccinated.
As to booster shots, Vergeire said only 27.65 percent of the eligible individuals have received the booster, which translates to around 21.5 million Filipinos.
CONTRACTS
Tolentino said based on the amount per vaccine dose as disclosed by manufacturers, Moderna was priced at $43 per dose, Pfizer at $6.75, and Sinovac at $14.
Jocelyn Ramos of the Commission on Audit told the hearing the agency has submitted its their special audit report to the Senate on the government vaccine procurement last February 8.
In the special audit report, Ramos said there were specific instances that the government was put in disadvantage in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
Ramos clarified that what the COA did was review the contracts entered into by the government with vaccine manufacturers.
“So, those observations, sir, were only on the contract and not on the specific transactions. We did not look at the specific transactions because these were already done negotiations and we are not part of that. We only looked at the provisions of the contract,” Ramos said.
She said the COA found out that there were no provisions on liquidated damages in case of delays, and there was no performance bond or performance security, and there were very limited liability in the part of the suppliers for non-deliveries.
Former IATF chief implementor Carlito Galvez said the government cannot do anything that time since there was a very limited supply and high demand of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.
Ramos said that was acceptable to COA given the situation.
Tolentino said COA should “set a framework for this for future reference” at time of emergency procurement during pandemics and calamities.
Galvez said the initial stage of the contract was done by the Department of Finance which will be scrutinized by its battery of lawyers, then the contract would be passed on to the financial lending institutions for loan approval, then will be sent to the IATF, and later on to the DOH.
“There are three people given special power of attorney by the President, who will sign the contract. Number one is the DOF [Department of Finance], then after that I will sign it. The last who will sign it will be the secretary of health. All of the contracts still pass through it [DOH] legal division),” Galvez said in Filipino.
Tolentino asked COA and the Office of the Solicitor General to come out with a provision on possible environmental degradation as to products purchased and disposed of by the government in relation to the pandemic.
After hours of discussions, Tolentino decided to terminate the hearing.
“I think we have explored the nitty-gritty and the continuing nuances concerning the wastage, the 44 million (doses of vaccines) that would probably balloon into a bigger amount… I hope that the lessons learned here will be implemented,” Tolentino said.
“We will be coming up with the committee report after receiving the Office of the Solicitor General’s position paper,” he added.
