MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City Council has given the green light for the local government to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for its constituents.
The local council has approved the resolution that authorizes Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte to enter into a tripartite agreement with the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and AzraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines for the advance purchase of the vaccine.
The city council cited provisions of the Local Government Code, which grants the city the power to promote the health and safety of its citizens as well as to protect them from the harmful effects of potentially deadly respiratory ailment caused by SARS-CoV-2.
“With the council resolution, we will soon finalize the tripartite partnership and begin the process of prioritizing our most vulnerable citizens,” Belmonte said in a statement on Tuesday.
The local government said it will prioritize its 10,000 health workers, 300,000 senior citizens, 20,000 adult persons with disabilities, and other priority sectors as recommended by the World Health Organization.
The city has allocated an initial P1 billion in its 2021 budget to purchase vaccines and supplies needed for the inoculation.
Apart from AstraZeneca, the Quezon City government is also eyeing to obtain vaccines from other pharmaceutical companies that have developed a serum against the novel coronavirus.
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QC Task Force on COVID-19 head Joseph Juico said that the local government is now finalizing its vaccination program guidelines and requirements such as vaccination centers, storage, transport, and mobilization.
“The Task Force Vax to Normal is almost finished with all the needed systems for this vaccination program. All we need is the vaccine,” Juico said.