MANILA — Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Tuesday urged local governments to immediately distribute the newly-donated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines which would expire in November.

The 390,000 bivalent shots that the Lithuanian government donated earlier this month would expire on Nov. 23, he said.

"Dapat magtuloy na iyan with the LGUs. Once it’s there, puwede na iyan in the center," Herbosa said in a Palace briefing.

"Ang nag-i-inject kasi hindi DOH, di ba, ang nag-i-inject LGU. Saka nakita naman ninyo iyong partnership dito. So, I think you understand, kami ang magdi-distribute, nasa regional hubs and then we expect the DILG to actually implement this and help us implement inject," he added.

(Once it's there, it should be administered in the center. You've seen our partnership here. We distribute the vaccines to the regional hubs and then we expect the DILG to implement this.)

Bivalent vaccines are modified jabs that target the omicron variant and the original form of the virus.

The elderly, those with comorbidity, and health workers will be prioritized in its rollout, the Department of Health earlier said.

While the DOH is negotiating for more bivalent COVID-19 jabs, government must also procure to boost its supply, Herbosa said.

"Kulang na kulang po itong 390,000," he said.

(These 390,000 shots are not enough.)

But he acknowledged that there were "snag and issues" in the procurement following the end of the state of public health emergency.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also opted not to extend the COVID-19 state of calamity, which regulates vaccines and clears COVID-19 drugs, among other things.

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"So the issues of the vaccine in terms of the [emergency use authorization] so to procure it, kailangan ma-i-rehistro sa ating FDA. So mayroong snag doon, but we are trying hard to get all these bivalent," Herbosa said.

(To procure it, it needs to be registered with our FDA. So there are snags there.)

He added that because of the complexities on the regulation in the absence of the EUA, vaccines must now be paid first before it gets delivered to the Philippines.

"Because it’s an international procurement, may mga terms of reference ng payment diyan. That’s the only time they will manufacture the vaccine," he said.

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"Maiksi kasi ang shelf life noon. Kasi kapag ang binili ko iyong nandoon na, makikita ninyo ini-isyuhan ninyo ako na nag-expire iyong bivalent vaccines, kasi six months lang ang shelf life niyan," he added.

(It has a short shelf life. If I buy the available stock, you might make an issue out of it because its shelf life is only 6 months.)

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Video from PTV