The national government will allocate Pfizer coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines to local government units (LGUs) that are capable of properly handling the sensitive jabs, a National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) official said.
In a Palace briefing Monday, NTF deputy chief implementer Vivencio Dizon said the Pfizer vaccines will most likely be given to Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao.
“It’s important to note that Pfizer vaccines, because their handling is relatively delicate, are being sent to LGUs and provinces with ‘proven’ capability to handle the vaccines. What we are looking into is their ability to store and to handle (the vaccines) at minus 80 degrees Celsius,” he said.
He added the Department of Health (DOH) is assessing which LGUs have the storage facilities to properly handle and deploy the Pfizer vaccines.
Aside from Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao, Dizon said there are cities and municipalities in Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Region 6, and some LGUs in Mindanao that have the capability to handle these vaccines.
Last week, the country received 2.2 million doses of Pfizer vaccine through the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX Facility.
Since the 2.2 million Pfizer vaccine doses were donations from COVAX, Dizon said it will follow the WHO prioritization of administering the vaccine to health care workers, elderlies, individuals with comorbidity, and indigent populations.
The NTF started the deployment of Pfizer vaccines during the weekend.
To date, more than 12.6 million Covid-19 vaccines have arrived in the Philippines.
Source: Philippines News Agency
