Some 36, 311 vials of different brands of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in Iloilo City have expired, based on the inventory of the city government’s General Services Office (GSO).
According to GSO head Joren Sartorio, the expired vaccines include 416, 700 of the 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that the city government procured in 2021 through a tripartite agreement with the national government and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm.
Sartorio noted that the Department of Health (DOH) held reverse logistics and pulled out the expired vaccines last March 24, 2023.
Currently, the city government is waiting for the replacement of the expired vaccines with COVID-19 bivalent vaccines.
Of the procured AstraZeneca vaccines, only 183, 300 doses were utilized by the city. Aside from the delay in the delivery of the vaccines, the city government also received vaccines from the DOH and thousands of doses from donations.
“When the AstraZeneca arrived, damo na sang stocks, damu na brands available and the people preferred other vaccines over AstraZeneca. So it caused a slowdown in the utilization of AstraZeneca vaccines,” Sartorio explained.
Meanwhile, the city government sought guidance from the Commission on Audit (COA) on how to resolve the payment issue especially that there were unused and expired vaccine.
“Until we get that guidance from COA or assured of the replacement of those expired vaccines to be replaced by DOH we will not pay AstraZeneca,” said Assistant City Legal Officer Atty. Quintin Magsico.
“We will only pay what we have used, we will pay the entire amount if ma-assure kita of the replacement through DOH,” he added.IMT
