P1.3 billion worth of private-sector COVID-19 vaccines expiring end-July —Concepcion

Business leader and former presidential adviser Joey Concepcion said Thursday that COVID-19 vaccines expiring by end-July will cost the private sector more than P1.3 billion, and urged the government to allow companies to give their employees second booster shots.

In a statement, Concepcion said the said expiring vaccines “are the losses incurred only by the private sector and do not yet reflect the vaccines it donated to the government.”

The vaccines set to expire consist of 623,680 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 864,700 doses of the Moderna shot, as of July 21.

Each AstraZeneca jab is estimated to cost at least $5 each, while Moderna shots were bought for $26.83 for each dose, according to the business leader, who is part of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos’ Private Sector Advisory Council.

The expiring vaccines were acquired by the private sector through the tripartite agreement A Dose of Hope, which was formed in October 2020.

Under the tripartite agreement, half of the vaccines acquired are shared with the government.

Concepcion is urging the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) to allow the private sector to administer second COVID-19 booster shots.

“The private sector has already proven that it is willing to get vaccinated. There is no need for mandates when it comes to the private sector,” he said, adding that while he agrees that first boosters must be the primary focus, the private sector must be allowed to use the vaccines it paid for.

The HTAC, a body tasked with providing guidance to the Department of Health (DOH) on the coverage of health interventions and technologies to be funded by the government, has recommended that only healthcare workers, the immunocompromised, and persons above 60 years old can take second booster vaccinations against COVID-19.

However, Concepcion said that several countries around the world have already found that persons younger than 60 can benefit from second boosters, and suggested that the country follow the lead of those who have studied the merits of second boosters. — BM, GMA News