The country received its first batch of more than 390,000 doses of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines donated by Lithuania, Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
“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,” Vergerie said.
“To every eligible Juan and Juana, we urge everyone to get the opportunity to gain longer and stronger protection by getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Together, let us move towards a healthier Pilipinas,” she added.
On Sunday, the Department of Health logged 1,272 new COVID-19 cases – the lowest tally in five days.
Active cases stood at 13,808, while total recoveries increased by 1,862 cases.
The regions with the highest number of fresh infections in the last 14 days are the National Capital Region with 6,279, followed by Calabarzon with 4,316; Central Luzon with 2,419; Western Visayas with 1,551; and Cagayan Valley with 926.
For her part, Vergerie said the DOH is in constant contact with the COVAX Facility in order to get additional doses of bivalent vaccines for the public.
Based on the DOH guidelines, health workers and senior citizens will get priority access to the bivalent vaccines.
An individual may be vaccinated with the bivalent vaccines at least four to six months after receiving the second booster dose.
Bivalent vaccines provide protection against the original COVID-19 strain and Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
DOH’s latest data showed that over 179 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered as of March.