Vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. that the government is ready to receive vaccines, even those who need ultra-low temperatures.
“Napakaganda ng cold storage na pinuntahan natin, iyong apat na pharma-grade. Dalawa palang po ang nabibista natin, bibisitahin din po natin ang Royale Cargo at iba pang pharma-grade na cold chain,” said Galvez on Monday at a public briefing.
“Kaya po natin makuha ang mga vaccines including Pfizer and Moderna. Mayroon po tayo kakahayan po at mayroon pong ultra-cold chain refrigerator na kabibili ng RITM na kayang magkarga ng more than 1 million na vaccines na -70 degrees Celsius,” he said.
According to Galvez, he said the people who manage the facilities they visited such as Zuellig and Unilab are very professional.
Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana said that the Philippine Navy has four ships with freezers at -15 to -8 degrees, while the Philippine Coast Guard also has nine ships that can store vaccines at -20 to -25 degrees Celsius requirement.
Gov’t can store vaccines that require ultra-low temperatures – Galvez
He said they can be used especially in the delivery of vaccines to other parts of the country.
In addition, military medical personnel will also undergo training to assist in the roll-out of the vaccination plan.
“Tinanggap namin ang alok ng Go Negosyo ni Joey Concepcion na bigyan ng pagsasanay o training ang ating military medical personnel para sila ang kasama sa pagbabakuna sa mga tao, lalo na sa mga probinsya. Tinanggap naming ang alok nila at maguumpisa ang training nila I think next week, at matatapos ito bago dumating ang bakuna,” said Lorenzana.
Galvez, meanwhile, admitted that it is now a challenge to convince Filipinos to trust the vaccines the government has brought.
“Kasi po talagang bumababa ang willingness at uptake ng ating mga kababayan dahil nga po sa mga nakikita nating mga adverse effects ng certain brands at the same time malakas po iyong social media ng ‘anti-vaxxers,'” he added.
He said the government and the private sector are working on the information campaign to increase public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.