The Department of Health (DOH) assured the public that the Covid-19 vaccination using the Moderna vaccine won’t be put on hold amid reports that Japan suspended the distribution of the brand due to alleged contamination issues.
“Here in the Philippines, we inspect lahat ng batches ng bakuna bago gamitin at walang nakitang ganyang kontaminasyon dito sa ating mga na-deliver na Moderna,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in Laging Handa briefing.
“We are not going to stop the Moderna inoculation,” she added.
Japan has already postponed the use of 1.63 million doses delivered to 862 vaccination sites in the country, a week after Takeda Pharmaceutical, the domestic distributor of the vaccine, received reports of contaminants in some vials.
Vergeire said that only the contaminated batch was suspended for vaccination and not the whole Moderna vials delivered to Japan.
She added that the reports of contamination in Japan won’t affect the Philippines’ future purchase of the Moderna vaccine.
“Meron tayong protocols for us to ensure na safe ‘yung mga bakunang dumadating at magagamit,” Vergeire said.
The Philippines received a total of 469,200 doses of Moderna on August 15, to beef up the country’s vaccine supply.
Before the said batch, the country had received 326,000 doses of Moderna vaccines on August 8 and were mostly distributed in Metro Manila, where the highly contagious Delta variant was found. Ronald Espartinez