THE Department of Health (DOH) reiterated that all COVID-19 vaccines are effective and safe.
This came after some confusion was created regarding the shelf life of the vaccines.
The DOH earlier announced that the expiration date of Pfizer vaccine doses was already extended and that government authorities are already coordinating with AstraZeneca to also extend the shelf life of other vaccines.
“There was some confusion on the expiry… All vaccines with FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) remain to be safe and effective,” according to DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, who is also the chairman of the National Vaccination Operations Center.
Cabotaje insisted that they will not give vaccines if they are not safe and effective.
The initial shelf life of vaccines are updated depending on the stability data provided by manufacturers, says Cabotaje in a press briefing.
With the discovery of the Omicron variant, Cabotaje repeated the importance of vaccination for added protection.
Currently, there are two COVID-19 cases with the Omicron variant in the Philippines.