The Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office is waiting for more bivalent vaccines from the Department of Health (DOH) so it can begin providing added protection against COVID-19 to senior citizens who belong to the A2 category, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, Provincial Health Office OIC, said on Thursday, August 3.
The PHO initially allocated the bivalent vaccines that arrived to workers at provincial government hospitals, she said.
Personnel of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital have had their bivalent jabs and the other provincial government-run hospitals have been advised to pick up their supply by Friday, she said.
The rest of the vaccines will then be turned over for the use of health workers in the provincial, city and town health offices, she said.
The national government sent Negros Occidental 352 vials of bivalent vaccines that are equivalent to 2,112 doses.
There are 692 hospital workers eligible for the bivalent vaccines, she said.
They have been advised that the bivalent vaccines can now be used as first booster shots, she said.
The first rule was that it could only be administered after one has had two booster shots, she said.
The bivalent vaccines include two components – the first component corresponds to the original virus strain and the second component corresponds to Omicron and its sub-variants providing better protection against the most severe forms of COVID-19 virus, the DOH said.
While vaccine availability is currently limited, the DOH is utilizing a phased approach to prioritize healthcare workers, senior citizens, and the most vulnerable population, it added.*