DOH assures sufficient supply of syringes for COVID-19 vaccines until end of 2021

An official from the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday that there was a sufficient supply of syringes for COVID-19 vaccines until the end of the year, adding that the syringes procured by the government through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) started to arrive in the country.

Health Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center chairperson Myrna Cabotaje explained that the procurement of the additional syringes was still ongoing.

She revealed that there was a delay in the delivery of the ordered syringes due to the global shortage.

At least 44 million syringes were ordered three months ago, but in the first tranche of four million, only two million syringes arrived in the country. However, the remaining two million syringes are expected to arrive next week.

Cabotaje added that it was possible that the remaining 40 million syringes procured will arrive next year.

Meanwhile, National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa encouraged the public to get inoculated against the viral disease amid the sufficient supply of the COVID-19 vaccines and syringes.

“Dumating na yung mga hiringgilya na inorder natin from UNICEF tapos unti unti na siyang sumasama pagdumating yung Pfizer dumadating din yung mga hiringgilya kasama na nung delivery ng mga bakuna,” Herbosa told Super Radyo dzBB on Saturday.

(The syringes we ordered from UNICEF have arrived and then when the delivery of the Pfizer vaccine arrives, the syringes also arrive.)

“So meron tayong sapat na bakuna ngayon, sapat na supplies din pero alam namin yung kapasidad ng bawat vaccinator kaya depende sa bilang ng vaccinator at bilang ng vaccine sites gumagawa kami ng mas realistic na estimate na kayang maachieve,” he added.

(We have enough vaccines and supplies but we know the capacity of each vaccinator so it depends on the number of vaccinators and the number of vaccine sites, we make a more realistic estimate that can be achieved.)

The country started its vaccination program on March 1. — DVM, GMA News