DOH: Vaccine wastage disposal ‘safe’; COVID-19 transmission from buried vials very minimal

The  risk of transmission from buried COVID-19 vaccine vials is "very minimal," Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Thursday as she assured the Senate blue ribbon committee that the current disposal process of wasted vaccines is "safe."

During the hearing, it was learned that the wasted vaccines are incinerated in Trese Martires, Cavite after which these are placed inside cylindrical drums which are transported to a landfill in Tarlac.

"The vaccines that we have procured or the vaccines for COVID-19 that we have in our country are all non live-- meaning all of these vaccines, their components had been modified--including mRNA," Vergeire said.

"So the probability or the risk of having this kind of transmission even after it was buried is very, very minimal," she added.

Pressed to categorically state that the disposal process is safe, Vergeire answered in the affirmative.

"Yes, Mr. Chairman, as far as the Department of Health is concerned, based on the standards given by the environmental bureau, the [DENR], and the process for which this is being stored and disposed of we can say that it is safe," she said.

According to Vergeire, they studied the process of disposing infectious waste in other countries such as India and Vietnam.

Vergeire said in India, they autoclave or treat the leftover vaccines with chemicals before sending it to the landfill while in Vietnam, the wasted vaccines are returned to the manufacturers.

Still, the DOH official said they think incinerating the vaccines is the "best method" to dispose of these vials.

"Based on the process, based on science and evidence, and based on our discussion with DENR, I think this process is the best method that we can use for now and it is considered safe," she said.

At the early part of the hearing, Vergeire said the vaccine wastage might reach 50 million by the end of March.

But in an interview, Senate blue ribbon chairperson Francis Tolentino said he is not convinced that this process is harm-free to the communities.

"Hindi ako convinced na pag na-pyrolysis, nasunog e safe na yon. Definitely, kapag nahalo sa mga ilog..may epekto yon kahit papaano...As to the matter of safety, walang makakapagsabi na safe kasi infectious waste yon e," Tolentino said.

[I am not convinced that if these are burned, it would be safe. If the wastes go into a river, it will have an effect. As to the matter of safety, no one can say so since the waste is infectious.]

He said there are no studies yet from the DENR and the private contractor in charge of pyrolysis on the long-term effects of disposing of the vaccine wastes.

"All of these will have to be reassessed," Tolentino said.

During the hearing, Chito Pacheco, president of Integrated Waste Management Inc.--the third party contractor on the vaccine waste disposal, said all liquid elements of the vaccine wastes will evaporate during the process of pyrolysis.

"Sa process po ng pyrolysis on a certain degree all elements na liquid would evaporate which is why pagdating sa landfill its more on the solid components lang ang tinatapon po namin," he said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News