TINATAYANG 27-milyong doses ng bakuna laban sa COVID-19 ang nakatakda nang ma-expire o masira sa darating na Hulyo kung hindi pa rin magagamit.
Ibinabala ni Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose “Joey” Concepcion III na masasayang lang ang ang nasabing mga bakuna kung hindi pa rin maituturok sa eligible population.
Sinabi ni Concepcion na aabot sa 237 million vaccine doses ang tinanggap ng Pilipinas ngunit 140.7 milyon lamang ang nagamit.
“Let’s not allow 27 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to go to waste. Time is of the essence. This is why I am calling it out now while there is still time before these vaccines expire,” diin ni Concepcion.
Batay sa huling datos ng Department of Health (DOH) hanggang nuong Marso 30, aabot sa 142.236 million doses ng COVID-19 vaccines na ang nagamit — 64.332 first doses, 65.885 2nd doses, at 12.018 million booster doses.
“If we don’t use these vaccines, we will have wasted the Filipino taxpayers’ money. It’s money the Philippines can’t afford to waste,” giit pa ni Concepcion.
Nauna ang ipinanukala ni Concepcion na gawing requirement ang booster card bago pumasok sa mga establisyimento simula sa Hunyo.
“By the second half of the year, the majority of the population will have waning immunity. If cases rise, we will lockdown again. And if the conflict in Ukraine drags on, we will lockdown in the midst of rising commodity prices and logjams in the supply chain,” babala nito.
“Unless we finish all the vaccines in stock and booster everybody that needs it, we risk going back to square one by year-end,” ayon pa sa opisyal.