After the ceremony held at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City with the arrival of the first batch of government-purchased Sinovac vaccines, they were immediately directed to the storage facility of the Department of Health in Concepcion-Uno in Marikina City.
This is the Metro Pacific cold storage facility where the first batch of vaccines donated by China has already been temporarily stored.
Unlike the first delivery of CoronaVac donations, the delivery of the new supply to the Metropac storage facility has become simpler.
There were several policemen and BFP members on standby outside the storage facility as part of the security carpet in the area. But they are fewer now.
Three large delivery trucks were used to deliver the vaccines directly to the Metropac yard.
The convoy left Villamor Airbase around 6:42 p.m. and arrived in Marikina at 7:33 p.m.
The temperature requirement for the CoronaVac is only 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, so it will not require a special cold storage facility and will allow the normal refrigeration temperature.
First batch of Sinovac vaccines purchased by gov’t arrive
According to initial information from the DOH, 75 percent of the vaccines that arrive are scheduled to be delivered here in the National Capital Region, and in Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Cebu, and Davao.
“Ang mabibigyan nito, after the health care workers, bubuuin pa rin natin iyon kasi mayroon pang 2nd dose eh. Tandaan natin, mayroon 3.4 million doses for the health care workers, Kapag dumating ito, plus naunang 1 million doses…, 2 million total. Kulang pa rin. So, puro health care workers pa rin ito,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
In the event that health workers refuse the Sinovac vaccine, those on the priority list will be followed, apart from senior citizens who are not recommended to be given it, according to the Secretary.
According to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, about P700 million, which he called “BFF rate” or friendly price, was spent by the government on the purchase of the vaccine that arrived.
This will not be the last delivery of Sinovac vaccines in the Philippines. According to Duque, another 4 million doses will come in April and the coming months.