The Department of Health is set to administer the bivalent Covid-19 vaccines as booster shots on June 21.
In a news release, the DOH said the inoculation of the eligible population with the bivalent jabs will be launched at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.
The event will be graced by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
The country received 390,000 doses of donated bivalent vaccines from the Lithuanian government early this month.
Health Sec. Teodoro Herbosa has instructed the DOH’s executive committee members to intensify the vaccination efforts to further protect the public against the virus, especially the healthcare workers (A1) and senior citizens (A2), and to avoid vaccine wastage.
In its department memorandum released March 31, the DOH provided guidance on the management and administration of the donated bivalent vaccines.
The memorandum states that individuals may be inoculated with the bivalent vaccines at least four to six months after they have received their second booster dose.
“Despite the decreasing trend of the Covid-19 positivity rate of 11.6 percent in the National Capital Region as of June 10, we still encourage all eligible individuals to get vaccinated as the threat of infection still continues,” Herbosa said.
He reminded everyone not to be complacent, especially the senior citizens and high-risk individuals like the healthcare workers and people with comorbidities.
As of March 19, about 78,443,972 individuals have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while 23,811,248 have received their additional doses. – PNA
