Joint Statement on Zamboanga del Sur Integrated Provincial Health Office Fire Incident
We are saddened that 148,678 doses of COVID 19 vaccines were damaged during the fire that broke out at the Provincial Health Office of Zamboanga del Sur on the evening of Oct. 31. The three-storey building which is occupied by different offices and departments of the provincial government also served as the provincial cold chain storage facility for COVID-19 vaccines allocated for 26 municipalities and one component city.
Based on initial reports, the fire destroyed 9,176 doses of AstraZeneca, 14,400 doses of Moderna, 88,938 Pfizer-BioNTech, and 36,164 doses of Sinovac vaccines, as well as routine immunization vaccines allocated for the province.
The AstraZeneca vaccines were allocated as second doses and were scheduled for deployment on Nov. 3. The Moderna vaccines were meant for the pediatric vaccination rollout for vaccine recipients aged 12 to 17 years old, which was scheduled to begin on Nov. 3 as well.
A quarter of the Pfizer vaccines that were damaged were allocated for Pagadian City and were temporarily stored at the provincial cold storage since the city’s ultra-low freezer (ULF) was already at full capacity. Meanwhile, half of the Pfizer doses were meant for the province’s vaccination rollout, while another quarter of the supply was scheduled for deployment to other local government units. The Sinovac vaccines were not delivered immediately because there were already LGUs that refused to accept the said vaccines due to vaccine brand preference.
The National Task Force against COVID-19, together with the Department of Health, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the National Vaccination Operations Center, are closely monitoring developments in the incident’s investigation. All agencies are on standby to provide immediate support to the Regional and Local Vaccination Operations Centers in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The responders are now in the process of retrieving vaccines that can still be used, as well as unutilized refrigerators, carriers, and transport boxes. Vaccine administration at the provincial and municipal levels has also been rescheduled.
We would like to assure the residents of Zamboanga del Sur that the NTF and NVOC will replenish all the damaged vaccines, especially those meant for citizens who are scheduled to get their second dose soon. The vaccine doses will be shipped immediately as soon as the new cold storage is ready for use.
NTF Vice Chairman and DILG Secretary Eduardo Año have ordered a thorough investigation of the said incident that will be jointly carried out by the DILG and DOH.
The DILG has tapped the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection and its regional offices to ensure a speedy investigation.
The DILG will also issue a show cause order to the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur for their failure to deliver the vaccines (3) three days after the receipt of the supplies.
May this unfortunate incident be a reminder to all local government units to ensure the safety and security of these life-saving vaccines.
To avoid similar incidents happening in the future, the DILG and DOH are reiterating to all LGUs at the municipal, city, and provincial levels to ensure that safety officers are reporting 24/7 in all COVID-19 cold chain facilities and warehouses.
Likewise, the NTF will ensure the strict enforcement of the DILG Memorandum last Oct. 19. An intensified monitoring mechanism will be put in place to ensure that vaccines deployed from the national warehouse will be immediately distributed to implementing units across provinces, cities and municipalities.
We will keep track of the vaccine deployment and distribution to ensure that vaccines will only be stored in provincial cold storage facilities for a maximum of three (3) days.
Let us keep in mind that vaccines are gold, and one dose equals one life saved. Protecting and ensuring the safety of these vaccines should be a primordial concern of all levels of the government.
SECRETARY FRANCISCO T. DUQUE III
IATF Chair, Department of Health
SECRETARY EDUARDO M. AÑO
NTF Vice Chair, Department of Interior and Local Government
SECRETARY CARLITO G. GALVEZ JR.
NTF Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar
SECRETARY VIVENCIO B. DIZON
NTF Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar
– bny
