While the Rest of the World are Winding Up With C-19 Vaccination, the Philippines has just Launched their Bivalent Vaccines Campaign.

The Bivalent Vaccines have been launched. HCW and Senior Citizens are urged to take bivalent doses. Unvaccinated are asked to take a primary series, unboosted to take boosters, as nationalistic duty.

His excellency, President Marcos attended the launching of Bivalent Vaccines at the Philippines Heart Center this morning 21st June 2023.

The event and speeches can be watched here on FB (mostly in English).

The first speaker was Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte who welcomed guests including the President, various local health officials, and W.H.O OIC Dr. Graham Harrison. After apologizing for only having achieved vaccination of 84% of her constituents, including adults and minors, Mayor Joy hailed the arrival of the bivalent vaccines as a “crucial milestone in our efforts to protect them [HCW] from various serious illnesses”. She reminded the audience that “we have witnessed how effective vaccines have been in deterring the spread of Covid”.

The DOH vaccine tracker copied below shows covid-19 illness and deaths in the Philippines across the pandemic. Make your own judgement on the possible effectivity of the vaccines by observing the progress of pandemic after their rollout.

For further elucidation, I have plotted Covid-19 Vaccine doses and all-cause-mortality across pandemic years for my reader’s reference. Mortality data after 2020 is preliminary! All data is extracted from public domain Philippines government sources.

Mayor Joy continued, “Unlike the monovalent Covid-19 vaccines, these bivalent Covid-19 vaccines is a scientific achievement that promises greater, longer, and stronger protection.  With this vaccine recipients will create immune responses against multiple strains providing additional layers of defense”. 

She thanked everyone and concluded by looking forward to the commercial availability of bivalent vaccines [Note: this will require the manufacturer to apply for a certificate of product registration (CPR) via standard channels and approval procedures].

“Finally, we anticipate with much excitement the commercial availability of these bivalent vaccines so that the general public may have access to them and the protection they promise to give”.

Next to speak was newly appointed DOH Secretary Herbosa, who also participated in the ceremonial inoculation activity by taking the very first jab in this new campaign.

Hopefully Secretary Herbosa’s reported BP rise was only due to the excitement of the occasion.

DOH’s Secretary Herbosa thanked the Government of Lithuania for their generosity in providing the 390,000 donated vaccines and added that more bivalent doses would be coming into the Philippines. He urged everyone, starting with HCW and senior citizens, to strengthen their immunity against Covid-19 by taking the bivalent booster.

Final word was had by His Excellency President Marcos who concluded the presentation by also thanking Lithuania, and praising Philippines government efforts and HCW who he credited with saving millions of lives, “I am not exaggerating here”, through their efforts over the pandemic years.

While the President acknowledged that Covid-19 had become mild and deaths few,

… coming on to the delta and the omicron variants we have seen slowly, slowly, slowly that this danger had gone away.  Has almost completely gone away….

… we should not be complacent and why we should institute programs like this which continue to seek to protect our vulnerable populace….

….. rest assured that with the use of science-based strategies and with the whole of society approach, these risks will remain manageable.

he still urged all Filipinos to get updated on Covid-19 vaccines, as a nationalist duty of honor.

…call to every Filipino to continue doing your part… get updated on your Covid-19 vaccination to prevent the resurgence, as a means of honoring those who sacrificed their lives during the pandemic….

I thus appeal to everyone, especially those who have yet to receive a primary series of vaccinations to get vaccinated against Covid-19. This is not for your own good alone.  This is for the protection of your family and the general public.

He ended by further rallying the nation to take Covid-19 vaccines and to continue the fight against infectious diseases.

I urge all of us to remain relentless in our fight against Covid-19 and all other infectious diseases that threaten the country. 

As long as we exhibit discipline, observe cleanliness, and practice cooperation, we will overcome the residual challenges that still are posed by the Covid-19 and emerge stronger than ever as members of a healthy, resilient, and productive Philippine society. 

May the Almighty God continue to bless us with his divine protection and grace.

Manila Times reports that DOH has released guidelines for Bivalent vaccination, and that Marcos has called for ramped up efforts on vaccination, “especially for young people”.

Outdated advice? Young people have magnitudes higher risk from the vaccines, and effectively none from Covid-19!

Bivalent Doses will protect Filipinos against FE.1

While acknowledging that there has been no testing to confirm this, a public health expert assured the public that the Bivalent Vaccines, which are designed for the original legacy strain and the BA4 and BA5 Omicron variants, would provide substantial protection against the latest FE.1. strain.

No data, but trust us, there is protection! Take the bivalent vaccines. It is the nationalistic thing to do!!

Too many have already been sacrificed! How many more are to be offered?

May GOD bless and save the Philippines!