More than 390,000 doses of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines donated by Lithuania have arrived in the Philippines, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
DOH Assistant Secretary Leonita Gorgolon led the government officials who received the donated vaccines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania, Julia Netta Vildzius Peña and the Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union to the Philippines, Dr. Ana-Isabel Sanchez-Ruiz were also present during the ceremony.
The bivalent vaccines aim to provide protection against the original COVID-19 strain, SARS-CoV-2, and Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
The DOH started negotiating to obtain supplies of bivalent vaccines in 2022.
“It is with great pleasure that we have received such generous donations from the Lithuanian Government and our sincerest gratitude to our partner agencies for being one with the DOH in seeing that within our reach is a bountiful future, one that is most achievable starting with ensuring that we have sufficient protection against the COVID-19 virus,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a statement.
“Apart from these donations, the DOH is also in constant contact with the COVAX Facility with regard to getting additional doses of bivalent vaccines for the public,” the DOH added.
The DOH said that healthcare workers and senior citizens will be prioritized for the vaccines.
