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🇵🇭 Philippines /Health & Science

DOH: 3 milllion flu shots available next month

From PhilStar · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The Philippine Department of Health said more than 3 million influenza vaccine doses should become available in October or November after no flu shots were procured in 2025.
  • The department will prioritize senior citizens and health workers, with another 4.4 million doses expected next year.
  • The vaccines were fully used in 2023 and 2024, when the department procured 3.6 million and 5.1 million doses, respectively.

The Philippines expects more than three million flu vaccine doses to become available after the Department of Health failed to procure influenza shots last year.

The department is procuring 3,054,600 doses this year, DOH Undersecretary Gloria Balboa told The Philippine Star. The vaccines are expected to arrive in October or November.

Senior citizens and health workers will receive priority, Balboa said. A second shipment of 4.4 million doses is expected to arrive next year.

The DOH procured 3.6 million influenza vaccine doses in 2023 and 5.1 million in 2024. Both batches were fully used. The department did not procure flu shots in 2025.

The World Health Organization defines influenza-like illness as an infection involving a fever of at least 38 degrees Celsius and a cough lasting 10 days. The DOH advised people with flu-like symptoms to wear a face mask and cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing.

For this year, we are procuring 3,054,600 doses of flu vaccines.

· Gloria BalboaThe DOH undersecretary described the department's flu vaccine procurement for the year.
About this summary

Originally published by PhilStar. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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