MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday stated that new Omicron-specific vaccines might become available in the country starting early next year.
“In terms of the new vaccines that are being developed, the manufacturer declared that around October, they could release this kind of vaccine,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, speaking partly in Filipino, said in a radio interview.
Vergeire said it is only then that the vaccine manufacturer could initiate the process of applying for its use in the Philippines.
“We will be reviewing that and, the way I see it with the processes we have, (it would be available) about early part of next year,” she said, adding that a budget has already been reserved to purchase these new vaccines.
The United Kingdom became the first country to approve an Omicron-specific vaccine developed by Moderna this week.
Vergeire said Janssen Pharmaceuticals has applied for commercial distribution of its Covid-19 vaccines in the country.
“Once a vaccine has a CPR (certificate of product registration), it can already be available commercially,” explained Vergeire of Janssen’s application now under evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The CPR, she said, may be granted to Janssen early next year, given that it satisfies all the requirements of the FDA.
“In order to be available to the population, careful study is needed,” she stressed in Filipino.
Quicker procurement
Dr. Rontgene Solante, an infectious disease specialist, anticipates a faster procurement of the new Omicron-specific bivalent vaccine due to the planned extension of the country’s public health emergency status.
In the Laging Handa public briefing yesterday, Solante welcomed President Marcos’ announcement that he is inclined to retain the state of public health emergency until the end of the year.
“It is very important to extend the public health emergency status, because we can see a lot of advantages if we are in a public health emergency,” he said in Filipino and English.
Solante stated that one of the advantages is the expedited and simplified purchase of the bivalent vaccine to prevent the spread of the Omicron virus in the country.
“At this point, we need immediate supply of the vaccine, especially (since) we are now in our second booster for the vulnerable population and waiting for the Omicron booster to arrive in the Philippines much faster,” he said.
Solante emphasized that even though the first-generation Covid-19 vaccines are still effective against the virus, the use of the Omicron-specific vaccine is a crucial step in the fight against the global pandemic.
The numerous cases of breakthrough infections and recurrent re-infections, he noted, are being recorded because the protection provided by the first-generation vaccines has dropped with the emergence of new variants of concern (VOC).
The expert stated that the Omicron-specific vaccine – as preliminary studies show – will increase the protection against severe disease, particularly among the most vulnerable population.
“I am still confident that with this Omicron variant booster it may still have good cross-protection with the other VOC. But for new variants (that) will occur, that’s a big question mark,” Solante said.
He expressed hope, however, that the bivalent vaccine will prevent more mutations of the Omicron variant.
According to Solante, with school opening next week, it is important for the people, especially the teachers, to get vaccinated and to strictly comply with public health standards.
Moreover, he advocated for the government to administer vaccinations to children under the age of 12 to strengthen the country’s wall of immunity.
smooth jazz instrumental