In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) explained why many COVID-19 vaccines went to waste. They said that when the Omicron variant caused fewer severe cases, people didn’t feel the need to get booster shots. As a result, there were too many vaccines ordered, especially after COVID-19 cases dropped in 2021 and 2022. This led to some of the vaccines expiring and being wasted.
The DOH was criticized by the Commission on Audit (CoA) after they found that millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses were wasted, worth around P11 billion. The vaccines had expired and were stored in warehouses without being used. Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said that the vaccination program didn’t have enough time to plan like other programs, and that the government ordered vaccines quickly to protect everyone.
There was also confusion with local governments and private groups, as they also ordered their own supplies of vaccines. As more vaccines arrived, including donations from other countries, there were more doses than needed. Domingo pointed out that around 30% of COVID-19 vaccines were wasted globally, with countries like Australia also having millions of unused doses.
To solve the issue, the DOH created a team to safely dispose of the expired vaccines. They said they followed rules set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and would report the results after disposal. The DOH also worked on better guidelines for storing vaccines in the future, hoping to prevent waste in case of future emergencies.
