Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 21) — Sen. Francis Tolentino expressed his concern about the plan of the Department of Health (DOH) to get rid of millions of expired COVID-19 vaccines at a landfill site in Clark, Pampanga.
During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Tolentino said the DOH must coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regarding the disposal of expired vaccines.
“There is a proper way to dispose of hazardous wastes — not in Metro Manila, not in Mega Manila. And there is a proper way to positively utilize the expired vaccines,” he said.
Dr. Ma. Joyce Ducusin of the supply chain management for COVID-19 said that more than 44 million COVID-19 vaccines had already expired as of Dec. 2, 2022.
These expired vaccines would be incinerated, she said.
Dr. Anthony Cu, another representative from the DOH, assured lawmakers at the hearing that health protocols are being followed to ensure that waste materials are “no longer infectious.”
“We make sure that these wastes are no longer infectious before actually disposing of them. The entire process makes it no longer infectious,” Cu said.
He stressed that they are implementing the same protocols being observed in the processing of the wastage of other materials from hospitals.
