Forty four million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are considered as wastage from last week's 31 million doses, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

In a press conference, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said: "Our reports on (vaccine) wastage is progressive as our inventory is continuously happening."

"Last week, we reported 31 million wastage. Now, it is already at 44 million based on our inventories," she said. This translates to 17.5 percent, she added.

Vergeire said the number is still within the allowable wastage rate set by the World Health Organization, as bared by Vergeire, of 25 to 30 percent.

"This 44 million is 17.5 percent out of all vaccines received by the country," said Vergeire.

The DOH said 24 million expired, while some 3.8 million were damaged by natural disasters, temperature excursion, or discoloration. The cause of wastage of around five percent is still being looked into.

She said 75 percent of vaccine wastage are those brought by the private sector or local government units.

Two percent of vaccine wastages come from government supplies while wastage from donations reach 4 to 5 percent. DMS