SunStar
+ April 29, 2021 TO HELP ensure the effective administration of Covid-19 vaccines throughout the country, the International Chamber of Commerce Philippines (ICCP), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) are organizing a virtual meeting of experts and policymakers dubbed the Vaccine Summit: Equitable Distribution and Safety set Friday, April 30.
Amb. Francis Chua, founding chairman of ICCP and chairman emeritus of PCCI, said the summit will provide information on the status of the global distribution of the vaccines against Covid-19. We know how critical this vaccination program is to achieve herd immunity faster and hasten our socioeconomic recovery. This is why we have to make sure the inoculation programs of the government and the private sector will be effective, safe, and equitable, Chua said.
Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion
Concepcion lauded the decision of the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) to allow people below 60 years old to take the AstraZeneca vaccines, saying this was good news for the private sector and the local government units.
AstraZeneca is the brand of vaccine that was procured by many private companies for distribution to their employees and other frontline workers. The initial batch of vaccine supply is expected to arrive in the first week of June.
The same vaccine brand has been purchased by several local government units (LGUs).
“This is good news for us, the private sector and the LGUs, who ordered a total of 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines. We are glad that the FDA changed its position and allowed the Astrazeneca vaccine to be used by individuals 18 years old and above,” Concepcion said in a statement Monday, April 19.
( MANILA BULLETIN)
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. recently announced that initial doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines are expected to be delivered in mid-February through the COVAX facility. The government is aiming to inoculate 70 million Filipinos by the end of this year.
As the public anticipates this vital initiative of the government against the pandemic, the question in mind would be:
Vaccine storage and distribution
There are two strategies to store COVID-19 vaccines as these require specific storage requirements, said Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Vergeire said for vaccines requiring 2 to 8 degree Celsius and -20 degrees Celsius temperature, the supplier will deliver the vaccines to the DOH rented private warehouse or to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), “which will serve as the government’s centralized vaccine hub.”
SunStar Special Report: Government prepares for vaccine rollout
MANILA. A health worker pretends to inject a volunteer as they still wait for vaccination during a Covid-19 Vaccination Dry Run in Taguig, Philippines on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. (AP)
+ February 02, 2021
(This is the third part of a special report by SunStar Philippines on efforts to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic through vaccination.)
NEARLY 24.7 million Filipinos, or about 23 percent of the population, will receive the free vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) first.
Among them are the frontline health workers, senior citizens, indigent population and the uniformed personnel, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said.
SunStar
Photo by Associated Press February 02, 2021 AS COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in Davao City later this month, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio admitted that the city lacks adequate cold storage facilities that can meet the requirements of the vaccines.
Duterte-Carpio said the city has existing cold storage facilities but they are only intended for polio and measles vaccines. Kung katong isa ka-klase [nga vaccine] that requires a -70 degrees [Celsius], wala na siya sa City Government (If you are talking about that vaccine that requires a -70 degrees Celsius storage temperature, the City Government does not have that), Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.