By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
Persons with comorbidities have been included in the list of priority groups for the first batch of COVID-19 Pfizer bivalent vaccines that arrived in the country this June.
The Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) in a press conference on Tuesday said DOH has recently issued Memorandum No. 2023-0256 which expands the inoculation of the bivalent vaccine priority group to include adults with comorbidities (A3), in addition to healthcare workers (A1) and senior citizens (A2).
The bivalent vaccine was initially rolled out as a third booster dose to the priority groups such as healthcare workers and the elderly at DOH-designated health facilities.
However, with the new DOH memorandum, it will now be given as either first, second or third booster to A1, A2, and A3 priority sectors and their sub-priority groups (A1.1 to A1.9 or Expanded A1; A2.1 to A2.2; Expanded A3).
According to a memorandum issued by the DOH last March, an individual may be vaccinated with a bivalent vaccine at least four to six months after their last booster vaccination.
DOH-WV CHD said the expansion is to provide additional protection to Filipinos after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 22 lifted the nationwide state of public health emergency due to COVID-19.
Since there is only a limited supply of the bivalent vaccine, the DOH-WV CHD said they will follow a “phased approach” to prioritize healthcare workers, senior citizens, and the most vulnerable population.
“During the first phase, it shall be given to A1, A2, and A3 populations as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd booster doses. During the succeeding phases, it shall be provided to other categories subject to the availability of vaccines,” it said.
The bivalent vaccines were first introduced in the United States around the end of 2022. These boosters were reformulated to target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the more contagious Omicron variant, which emerged in November 2021.
The country received its first batch of 391,860 doses of Comirnaty Pfizer-BioNtech-adapted bivalent vaccines from the government of Lithuania on June 3.
Dr. Anthony Cu, Director IV DOH Field Operation System Management, said DOH is currently in active negotiation with the COVAX facility for around 2 million doses of bivalent vaccines.
“Hopefully soon ay magpo-proceed yung negotiations and we will be able to secure these vaccines,” he added.
According to Dr. Jose Martin Atienza, Regional Immunization Program Coordinator of DOH-WV CHD, the region has inoculated 4,447 individuals out of the 11,760 doses of bivalent vaccines received from the national government.
As of March 2023, 98.31% are considered fully vaccinated or 5,563,304 individuals of the target population of 5,658,712. Additionally, 1,026,485 individuals have received their initial booster dose, while 117,165 have already received their second booster shot.
While the healthcare utilization rate of the region is at low-risk, Atienza advised the public to be vigilant and continue observing the minimum health protocols like wearing of face masks.
