Serving as additional protection to the health and immunity of every Pamilyang Valenzuelano, the City of Valenzuela rolled out its third booster or the Bivalent booster vaccination primarily to its frontline healthcare workers from Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital, Barangay Dalandanan, June 27, 2023.

Released on March 31, 2023, the issued Department Memorandum No. 2023-D178 by the Department of Health (DOH) mapped out the implementing guidelines for administering Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine inoculation. It was stated that priority groups specifically adults belonging to the A1 & A2 population groups (healthcare workers and senior citizens respectively) would be the first groups to be inoculated. 

However, due to its primal stages of implementation and limited supply, Valenzuela City prioritizes all healthcare workers catering to COVID-19 patients, aged 18 and above, from different hospitals in the city to receive the Bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines. The initial implementation of Phase 1 occurred last June 25, 2023, at Our Lady of Fatima University RISE Tower, vaccinating a total of 114 healthcare workers. 

This morning, the VCVax unit commenced the vaccine rollout for frontliners from Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital (VCEH), which site was stationed in the nearby Valenzuela City Astrodome. To ensure that all frontliners catering to COVID patients are accommodated, the vaccination will take place for 3 days. Dr. Rolando Tecson, the department head of VCEH, was the first to get inoculated, followed by the frontline health workers.

According to an interview with the Officer-In-Charge of VCVax, Dr. Ayra Aguirre-Rubillos, the DOH has allocated a total of 2,250 doses of the Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine for the city of Valenzuela. For the VCEH, the VCVax unit is anticipating a total of 276 health workers to receive the vaccine. She also explained that the selection of recipients was according to the DOH’s prioritization frameworks.

In addition to the requirements, it was also stated in the memorandum that the vaccine must be administered four (4) to six (6) months after the primary series or the second booster dose. Recipients are advised that they must be complete in the prerequisite immunization before receiving the booster shot. On the other hand, the Monovalent Vaccine booster or the second booster vaccination is still ongoing.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Pfizer Bivalent is a combination of the original and the Omicron BA.4-5 COVID-19 Vaccine, administered for further protection against the emerging Omicron variants looming in the city. Pfizer is the initially approved brand for Bivalent vaccines.

With such limited supply, the City Health Office is working on vaccinating all frontliners catering to COVID-19 and accomplishing Phase 1 in the city hospitals as much as their available stock can accommodate. Should there be a surplus in the supply, they will also inoculate the lesser vulnerable office workers from hospitals as the next ones in line. The administration of the Bivalent vaccines to other groups in the general public in its succeeding phases will be further announced by the DOH and the City Health Office.

Maximizing all means and efforts to secure the health and safety of the Pamilyang Valenzuelanos in the prevention of COVID-19, the city is highly encouraging everyone to get vaccinated immediately. For further inquiries and concerns with vaccination schedules and sites, please contact the VCVax Hotline at 8-822-2463 or your local health stations.