COVID-19: Expiration of 27M vaccine doses in July

Photo Source: Daily Tribune (Twitter: @tribunePHL)

Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion is expediting the use of the booster card as a requirement in enclosed areas. This is to prevent the more than 27 million doses of COVID-19 that will expire in July to be wasted.

According to Secretary Concepcion, vaccines should be used immediately so that the government does not waste a huge amount of money buying them.

Senator Franklin Drillon had the same sentiment, he even called it a crime if the Department of Health (DOH) and Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) would only allow the vaccines to expire, especially since Filipinos will pay the debt that was used to purchase the COVID-19 vaccines.

Health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, defended, saying they are still not sure if 27 million doses are about to expire.

DOH admitted that many still do not desire to be vaccinated and are hesitant to have their shot. With that, some regions such as BARMM, Bicol Region, Region 4A (CALABARZON), and Region 4B (MIMAROPA)—are still left behind.

Others are fully vaccinated, but just don't want to get a booster shot.

According to the latest National Task Force (NTF) COVID-19, more than 244 million doses of the vaccine are still in stock. The government targets the country's 90 million eligible target population.

Currently, more than 66 million or 783.47% of the target population are fully vaccinated. Of that number 12.1 million were shot with boosters.