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Over 31 million COVID-19 vaccine doses worth P15.6 billion wasted - DOH

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Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Medical staff of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City receive their COVID-19 vaccine booster dose on Nov. 17, 2021. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/11/21/20211117-covid19-vaccine-booster-1md-0962.jpg"/><figcaption>Medical staff of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City receive their COVID-19 vaccine booster dose on Nov. 17, 2021. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — More than 31 million shots of COVID-19 vaccines went to waste in the Philippines, amounting to P15.6 billion, the Department of Health said Monday.Of the total wasted doses, some 24 million expired due to short shelf life, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire told TeleRadyo.The remaining 7 million shots went to waste due to temperature excursion, while other vials were opened and unused, she added.&quot;This 31 million po &#x27;pag tinignan po natin &#x27;yung kabuuan, almost 70 percent po dito ay &#x27;yun pong na-procure ng private sector at saka ng local governments,&quot; Vergeire said. (Out of the 31 million, almost 70 percent were procured by the private sector and local governments.)The health official noted that the earlier coronavirus jabs had a shelf life of just 6 months from the date of bottling.COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos also increased in the latter part of the year, Vergeire added.As of Nov. 17, some 73.6 million Filipinos were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, data from the DOH showed. Only 20.8 million have received their first boosters.During last week&#x27;s Senate plenary budget deliberations, Sen. Pia Cayetano disclosed that wasted COVID-19 vaccines only made up <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/17/22/doh-kampante-sa-suplay-ng-covid-vaccine-sa-bansa-sa-2023">12 percent of the 250 million doses</a> received and procured by the government.The World Health Organization has set the threshold of vaccine wastage at 10 percent.But Cayetano noted that WHO found that wastage rates in low and middle income countries went up to 30 percent.In the interview, Vergeire reiterated the DOH would conduct a 2-day special COVID-19 vaccination drive in December.Dubbed &quot;Bakunahang Bayan II,&quot; the special vaccination days will run from Dec. 5 to 7 and will target children ages 5 to 11.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/18/22/bakunahang-bayan-ii-targets-5-11-years-first-boosters">Bakunahang Bayan II slated in December; targets 5-11 years, first boosters</a></li></ul>

More than 31 million shots of COVID-19 vaccines went to waste in the Philippines, amounting to P15.6 billion, the Department of Health said Monday.

Over 31 million COVID-19 vaccine doses worth P15.6 billion wasted - DOH

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Over 31 million COVID-19 vaccine doses worth P15.6 billion wasted - DOH

Davinci Maru,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 21, 2022 10:15 AM PHT

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