Where are the bivalent shots?

In India, COVID vaccine production has resumed and masking is again required in several areas after new infections soared by 30 percent in just one day. The surge is being driven by Arcturus, the name given to the latest COVID strain and Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.16.

The World Health Organization has classified Arcturus as a variant of interest. Scientists have warned that it has shown resistance to antibodies from other coronavirus variants, which means it may evade immunity developed from COVID vaccination or previous infection.

What has worked against Omicron and its mutations is the new-generation bivalent vaccine. The United States, which is home to several of the world’s top pharmaceutical firms, has withdrawn authorization for the first-generation monovalent COVID vaccines in the US and replaced them with the bivalent shots.

The Philippines, which is relying on the COVAX Facility for COVID vaccine donations, has yet to obtain even an initial one million bivalent shots for health frontliners and the other vulnerable sectors. The donation was expected to arrive last month, but the delivery is in limbo. As of Jan. 1 this year, the state of COVID calamity was no longer in effect in the country, and so was an accompanying clause under that state: the immunity of vaccine makers from liability and indemnification in case of adverse reactions to their jabs.

With President Marcos not keen on reimposing the state of calamity, health officials are trying to find ways of providing that guarantee demanded by the vaccine makers. Otherwise, only the wealthy who can afford to travel overseas may get their bivalent shots amid an ongoing surge. The overwhelmingly majority of the population will just have to risk breakthrough infections.

Waiting for the bivalent jabs is believed to be one of the reasons for the slowdown in vaccine takeup since late last year. The wait is gaining urgency amid reports of Arcturus spreading rapidly across several countries, with even children getting infected, and the detection of the variant in the Philippines. Arcturus symptoms in infants reportedly include cough, cold, flu-like body aches and “pink eye” – itchy conjunctivitis with sticky eyes.

Mandatory masking is back in train facilities in Metro Manila. The city government of Manila, whose mayor is a physician, is reportedly considering the return of mask mandates outdoors. While Omicron infections tend to be mild especially among the vaccinated, COVID continues to kill, especially those belonging to the high-risk sectors such as the elderly and immunecompromised.

People are worried of breakthrough infections that can put at risk vulnerable members of their household. The government has a responsibility to protect public health, which is a requirement for a healthy economy. More effort is needed to make the bivalent vaccines available in the country as soon as possible.