THE Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility promised to replace around 3.6 million doses of expired vaccines in the country.
“That’s nice of them to do that. It’s a distinct humanitarian sentiment,” Duterte said in a prerecorded public address with Cabinet officials aired Wednesday morning.
This, after Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed the good news and assured that the Philippines will not be spending a single cent for the replacement of Covid-19 jabs.
“Ire-replace po ng COVAX facility. Nag-meeting na po kami kahapon at mayroon na po silang sulat sa atin (The COVAX facility will replace them. We had a meeting yesterday and they have sent me a letter),” Duque told Duterte.
He said the replacement of Covid-19 vaccines will be done for both doses that have been donated and procured by the government.
The 3.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines that have expired account for 1.46 percent of the country’s current vaccine inventory, Duque said.
He said this figure is below the 10 percent indicative wastage rate used by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Duterte, in response, said he was “happy” to learn that the expired Covid-19 jabs would be replaced for free.
metrosundaily
