21,000 vaccine doses wasted in Odette-hit areas

Around 21,000 doses of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines that were deployed in areas that were devastated by Typhoon Odette (known internationally as Rai) are now considered “wastage,” said the Department of Health (DoH).

“We have initially about 21,000 doses that have been officially reported as wastage. The [other areas] have not been able to submit a report because we have a current problem with those with no electricity, no connectivity,” Health Undersecretary Myrna C. Cabotaje, head of the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC), said in a mix of English and Filipino at a televised news briefing on Friday.

The DoH is working to complete a final report, she added, which may be released in the next one to two weeks.

She noted that the wastage data specifically came from Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga. They are also looking into Palawan as its northern area was also affected by the Odette, which was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines last year.

Ms. Cabotaje said that the government has deployed 146 million out of the 210 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have been procured by the national government, the private sector, local government, and donations, but noted that inoculations have begun to slow down.

“Our cases are increasing, but our vaccinations are slightly slowing down because our health care workers are also affected [by COVID], so they cannot vaccinate temporarily,” she said, “but in the next two to three weeks, hopefully, the process will accelerate once again.”

There is also a delay due to the difficulty of deploying vaccines to typhoon-hit areas, she added.

“We need more people who want to get vaccinated,” Ms. Cabotaje said.

As of Friday, the Philippines has 51.6 million fully vaccinated individuals, while 2.8 million have received a top-up shot, according to the DoH website. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan