The Department of Health (DOH) said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization for bivalent vaccines of Moderna and Pfizer.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the health department is set to share recommendations and guidelines for the priority population in the coming days.
The DOH said the bivalent vaccines are made to address the original Covid-19 strain and the Omicron variant and its subvariants.
“We are pursuing the procurement of these bivalent vaccines because articles and evidence have shown that it guarantees additional protection,” Vergeire said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Vergeire also said during the press briefing that evidence showed that the BF.7 subvariant is more transmissible and immune-evasive versus other Omicron subvariants.
However, she noted that the public should be cautious of the emergence of subvariants since we are now “living with the virus.”
“The virus is here to stay. Expectedly this virus will mutate. It is not supposed to be a concern. It’s supposed to be something that we be cautious of, something that we become more vigilant,” Vergeire said.
— Ronald Espartinez