LGUs urged to coordinate with private sector on storage facilities for Pfizer vaccines

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is encouraging local government units (LGUs) to coordinate with the private sector for the storage facilities that could house highly-sensitive COVID-19 vaccines, such as the US-made Pfizer vaccine.

“Ine-encourage ng ating department at ng ating pamahalaan in general ang pakikipag-ugnayan at pagsuporta sa ating pribadong sektor na may kakayahan for that purpose, particularly ‘yung storage requirement,” DILG Assistant Secretary Odilon Pasaraba said in a Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday.

(The department and the government in general is encouraging the coordination and the support for our private sector that has the capability to provide for storage units.)

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año earlier told LGUs to prepare for the distribution of the recently procured 40 million doses of Pfizer vaccines.

Año stressed that LGUs need “to ensure third party logistics and cold chain service providers for very sensitive vaccines like Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V.”

Pfizer vaccines require storage with temperature of -80 to -60 degree Celsius prior to dilution.

READ: FDA grants emergency use authorization for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

The Philippine government recently inked a deal for 40 million doses of US-made Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the bulk of which are expected to be delivered in August.

Pasaraba, however, expressed confidence that LGUs will be able to prepare for the arrival of Pfizer vaccines and they will coordinate with the proper agencies and the private sector to help them.

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