ABOUT 50 million coronavirus vaccine doses went to waste because they expired before they could be administered, officials from the Department of Health (DoH) told a recent Senate budget hearing. It's a disconcerting statistic, especially when we take into account that the Philippines spent about P22 billion to buy 23.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to supplement its stockpile of 26.2 million donated doses. There were more than 4 million Covid cases in the Philippines, and almost 67,000 Filipinos died from the disease. By the time President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared the pandemic over last March, 75.7 million Filipinos were still waiting for a second dose, while only 24.2 million had received a booster shot. The plan considered it crucial "that national and local agencies, public and private sectors, and other planning partners clearly understand each other's roles and responsibilities in the Covid-19 vaccination program."

Source: Manila Times November 17, 2023 04:53 UTC