The healthcare commission of the Catholic church continues to call for the government to take advantage of the COVID-19 vaccination despite the continuous health improvement of society from the pandemic.

According to Camillian Father Dan Cancino, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Health Care (CBCP-ECHC), it is still important to focus on having additional protection even though the rules against COVID-19 are being relaxed.

“Importante talaga ang bakuna para masigurado ang proteksyon natin laban sa COVID-19. Napatunayan naman ‘yan nitong mga nakaraang taon ng pandemya at dahil d’yan nabawasan ‘yung mga kaso ng malalang sintomas ng virus. Sana, i-avail pa rin natin ang COVID-19 vaccine para sa proteksyon ng ating sarili, pati na rin kapwa natin,” Fr. Cancino told Radio Veritas.

Fr. Cancino also said that the Department of Health reports that many vaccines will expire this year and remain stored in cold storage facilities.

Since the number of people getting vaccinated and getting booster shots have decreased, there is a risk that the eight million COVID-19 vaccines will go to waste.

According to Rosario Vergeire, Health Officer-in-Charge, more than 15 million vaccines that the DOH expects to expire this year.

She added that the DOH is waiting for the decision of the Food and Drug Administration and vaccine manufacturers for the seven million vaccines to extend their “shelf life.”

“Tatanggalin natin ‘yung almost 7 million na inaantay pa po natin ang decision ng FDA together with the manufacturers who have applied kung ma-re-re-extend natin ‘yung shelf life nila,” said Vergeire.

A total of 44 million vaccines have been wasted throughout the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, including damaged vaccines caused by fire, temperature, calamities, and other incidents. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC)