ILOILO – One hundred vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech-made vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) got damaged in Badiangan town.
How?
Health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in Manila said the vaccine wastage was due to power interruption caused by super typhoon “Odette” which struck Iloilo on Dec. 17.
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can be stored for up to one month at refrigerated 2-8°C conditions, thus a constantly running ultra-low-temperature storage equipment is needed.
Panay News learned, however, that the vaccine damage had nothing to do with power interruption.
In an interview, Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, head of the Provincial Health Office, clarified that the damage was due to the postponement of the Bayanihan Bakunahan Part II because of “Odette”.
The original vaccination schedule was Dec. 17 but this was moved to Dec. 20 to 22.
According to Quiñon, Dec. 17 was the 30th day of the 100 vials to have been released from the ultra-low temperature freezer of the provincial government (and transferred to the less-able cold storage equipment in Badiangan). That day, the vaccines were deemed to be on the last day of their being potent.
“Within 30 days (from their release from storage) dapat ma-inject mo sia. May schedule sia tani, bali sang Dec. 17. Kon nadayun, wala gid tani na-compromise. Kaso may bagyo,” said Quiñon.
The postponement of the Bayanihan Bakunahan Part II to Dec. 20 to 22 meant that the vials became way past the one-month period within which they should have been used after their release from ultra- cold storage. Past this period, they’re deemed not potent already.
The Municipal Health Office and local government unit of Badiangan feared that still using these vials could put at risk the lives of vaccinees.
Nobody wanted the vaccine wastage to happen, stressed Quiñon.
“Ti, alang-alang ihatag mo na. Mas ma-compromise kita,” she added.
There was no clear explanation, however, as to why the vials were not immediately used from the time they were released from the ultra-low temperature freezer of the provincial government, and why Badiangan had to wait for Dec. 17 (the last day of the vaccines’ potency) to supposedly use them.
In Manila, National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said, “We’re very thankful wala masyadong na-damage. But we will report the degree of the damaged to the public.”
In a related development, Galvez announced yesterday that the Philippines is slated to receive an additional 10.2 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 jab from the United States government starting this month up to the first quarter of 2022.
The donations will be coursed through the World Health Organization-led COVAX Facility.
Galvez said the vaccines will be delivered in tranches.
Last month, the government closed a deal with Pfizer to buy additional 20 million doses, to add to the previous 40 million doses procurement contract./PN
