The National Task Force Against COVID-19 has started with its inspection of vaccine storage facilities in line with the government’s preparation for the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines.
NTF Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III met on Wednesday morning with officials of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City which was established as the “National Vaccines Storage Facility”.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the RITM has five ultralow freezers for COVID-19 vaccines that can accommodate the -20 to -80 degrees Celsius storage temperature requirement. Each freezer can preserve more than 230,000 doses of vaccines or more than 46,000 vials.
The officials also inspected Zuellig Pharma Corporation in Paraῆaque City which is considered as one of the biggest players for cold chain storage facilities in the private sector. Zuellig has different types of facilities depending on the required temperature, including cold rooms, walk-in freezers, and ultracold freezers. It also has warehouses in Visayas and Mindanao.
Galvez said there is no final decision yet on what facility will be utilized from the private sector and how much they would cost.
Meanwhile, Galvez confirmed that he will be meeting some senators regarding the Covid-19 vaccine deals.
“I received a call this morning, last night, through Senator Bong Go, and he said, you are directed by the President to report to SP and explain how the negotiations are going,” Galvez said.
While Galvez is willing to attend as directed, he sees that the Senate hearing may take away precious time, “sa ngayon kasi, very critical ‘yung date. Every date na mawala sa negotiation, napakahirap (currently, the date is very critical. Each date lost in the negotiation is very difficult).”
Duque also emphasized the value of the legislative and executive branches, saying that “Congress is really a crucial partner of the executive department” in legislation.
“For example, we are appealing to Congress to legislate the indemnification fund say for individuals who get vaccinated and get serious side effects. Number 2, we are looking at legislating the issuance of emergency use authorization, despite the fact that there has been Executive Order No. 121,” he elucidated. – Report from Mela Lesmoras
