740 vials of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines arrive for Bicol

LEGAZPI––At least 740 vials of American manufactured Moderna anti-COVID-19 vaccines arrived Monday morning at the Legazpi City Domestic Airport, the Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol said.

The vaccines were in two cold storage boxes aboard the Philippine Airlines commercial flight from Manila that landed around 10 a.m., Noemi Bron, DOH Health and Promotion chief, said.

Bron said a vial of Moderna vaccine could inoculate 10 people, which means 7,400 people avail of this delivery.

Dr. Rita Ang Bon, Bicol COVID vaccine coordinator, said the delivery was a “trial run” to determine the region’s ability to handle and store this kind of jab that needs a minus 15 to minus 25°C storage facility.

The vaccine would be given to more health workers, senior citizens, and persons with illnesses.

The allocations from this shipment would be distributed only in the mainland provinces, with Sorsogon and Camarines Norte getting 1,600 doses each, while the cities of Legazpi, Ligao, Tabaco, Naga, and Iriga gets 600 each.

The two COVID referral hospitals – Bicol Regional and Teaching Hospital here and the Bicol Medical Center in Naga City – got 600 doses each.

The island province of Masbate and Catanduanes were not included yet in the rollout due to the absence of a cold storage facility that meets the vaccines’ storage requirement.

lzb