Davao City Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser confirmed the city has expiring Covid-19 vaccines due to low turnout.
Schlosser revealed these vaccines will be donated to other countries so that they will not be wasted.
Schlosser said these vaccines will be expiring because of the low turnout of Dabawenyos availing the vaccines, particularly the booster doses.
“Naa’y mag-expire na mga vaccines because of the low turnout. Naa nata’y for expiration and the Department of Health (DOH) will be gathering them and will be donated sa other countries. The reason nga naa ta’y for expiration is because gamay lang ang nagpa-booster. Wala gi-avail sa mga katawhan ang ilahang opportunity to get their booster dose. Sayang kaayo ang kuwarta sa gobyerno,” she said.
Schlosser said it is not only Davao City that has a low turnout of the booster dose but also other Local Government Units (LGUs).
“The procurement itself is actually hard labi natong mga panahon na kasagsgan pa sa Covid, lisod mag-procure ug vaccines unya karon na naa nata’y vaccines dili i-avail sa mga katawhan, sayang gyud kaayo, monetary and effort wise,” Schlosser said.
Schlosser also said that the city has enough supply of Pfizer, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Last month, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion announced that around 27 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine will expire in July this year. He said that the government is planning to donate some of the expiring vaccines to neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, Schlosser reported that as of May 13, 2022, Davao City logged a total of 1,312,211 fully vaccinated Dabawenyos from the 1,330,176 who received their first doses. Of the 1,312,211 who got their primary doses, at least 254,679 got their first booster shot. Only 2,805, however, were administered with the second booster jabs.
The city government of Davao also continues with its mobile vaccinations, not just in the barangays but also in public and private establishments, including government offices. Vaccination hubs are also located in strategic areas in the city for the pediatric five to 11 years old, 12 to 17, and 18-above population age groups.