Authorities on Friday said that different COVID-19 vaccines will be given to different parts of the country for efficiency of deliveries.
According to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr., this is because some vaccines require special facilities capable of subzero temperature levels to preserve the potency of the shots.
Vaccines which have highly specific requirements for use will be distributed in urban areas with capacity, while areas with limited storage facilities will receive the more “classical” vaccine types.
“Example lang: kung makuha natin ang Moderna o Pfizer, dito lang sila sa Metro Manila at saka sa Region 4A para mas madali ang management. Kung makuha natin ang Sinovac, pwede po sila sa mga far-flung areas kasi pwede sila sa refrigerator lang,” Galvez said.
“‘Yung -20 degrees (Celsius), parang sa mga ice cream lang, kayang-kaya. ‘Yan po, pwede sa mga hubs sa Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro at saka mga other cities. Ganoon ang magiging strategy,” he added.
[For example, if we get vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, these will be used in Metro Manila and Region 4A for easier management. If we get Sinovac, we can send it to far-flung areas because it only needs to be refrigerated. Those at -20 degrees like ice cream, we can handle them. We can send these to hubs like Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and other cities. That’s our strategy.]
The government is in talks with 17 foreign vaccine developers to sign supply agreements and pre-order vaccine doses ahead of mass productions expected by mid-2021.
