DOH assures expired vaccines incinerated, not reused

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday assured the public that expired coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines would be properly disposed of and incinerated to ensure that no unscrupulous individual would sell them to the public.

“Mayroon tayong tinatawag na reverse logistics, may ganitong proseso so lahat ng hindi nagamit na bakuna. Ilalagay sa ziplock, gagawa ng report, kokolektahan ng third part logistics provider at idi-dispose through a third-party provider na siya namang mag-i-incinerate sa mga ganitong bakuna para hindi na magamit (We have what they call reverse logistics so that the vaccine cannot be used anymore. They will put it in a ziplock, make a report, collect the vials, and incinerate it through a third-party provider),” Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said in a Laging Handa briefing on Saturday.

The assurance was made as she admitted that a number of vaccines would expire soon due to short shelf life when they were shipped to Manila in November and December 2021, and January this year.

Cabotaje explained that apart from the same-month deliveries of vaccines procured by the private sector and local government units last year, the vaccination rate had gone down in the first months of 2022, leading to a number of unused doses.

She, however, cannot provide an exact figure on the number of these doses and their expiration dates.

To avoid wastage, Cabotaje said the DOH is planning to make all vaccines available in its “bakuna centers” nationwide so that even when vaccinees walk in, a dose would be on hand.

Cabotaje added that the Philippines is donating some of its excess vaccines to partner countries, a proposal still being discussed between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the potential recipients.