Manila: The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday addressed the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) regarding expired and unused Covid-19 vaccines in its warehouses and health facilities, highlighting specific challenges faced during the vaccination rollout. According to Philippines News Agency, the DOH explained that the Covid-19 vaccination program was an emergency measure, unlike its routine immunization programs, and lacked the advantage of years of planning and preparation. The agency noted that, similar to many governments worldwide, the Philippine government, through the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), prioritized making more Covid-19 vaccines available to all Filipinos as quickly as possible. The DOH statement followed the COA's report identifying approximately PHP11 billion worth of expired drugs and medicines, including 7,035,161 vials of Covid-19 vaccines. The agency pointed out that despite the national government's procurement effort s, some local government units and private sector entities chose to procure their own vaccines, leading to an increase in vaccine supply from additional donations through the COVAX Facility and bilateral channels. Globally, the international scientific community noted that Covid-19 vaccine wastage rates could reach up to 30 percent by April 2022. The BMJ Global Health journal reported that Australia experienced significant vaccine wastage due to expiration and reduced demand as of October 2021. Researchers cited an imbalance between supply and demand, particularly after the initial surge in vaccine production and a subsequent decline in population demand around 2021-2022. The emergence of the mild but highly transmissible Omicron variant contributed to strengthened herd immunity, resulting in fewer critical symptoms and shifting public perception of Covid-19 to be more akin to seasonal influenza. Consequently, many vaccinated individuals opted against receiving booster shots. The DOH assured that the state audit body recognized its disposal committee's efforts to manage the expired vaccines stored at DOH warehouses. The COA acknowledged in its 2023 Annual Audit Report that the disposal of expired vaccines might be inevitable as no extension was granted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The DOH stated that disposal results would be communicated to COA following standard procedures outlined in the Manuals on the Disposal of Government Property. The COA further recognized that the DOH Health Emergency Management Bureau now has guidelines for managing logistics during emergencies or disasters, focusing on proper storage conditions and shelf life considerations to prevent wastage. Other DOH operating units have also developed and implemented strategies to minimize or avoid future wastage.