Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso unveiled on Friday the city’s new COVID-19 Vaccine Storage Facility, which can store vaccine vials from different pharmaceutical firms.
The facility was unveiled after national government officials from the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team visited the Sta. Ana Hospital on Friday. It is located at the 7th floor of the hospital.
Refrigeration units have already been deployed at the facility, which includes five HYC-390 refrigerators for AstraZeneca and Sinovac vials, two -25°C biomedical freezers, and two -30°C biomedical freezers for Johnson&Johnson and Moderna vials.
Three more refrigeration units are expected to arrive at the Sta. Ana Hospital — the -86°C ULT freezers that can store Pfizer vials.
During the presentation of the facility, Domagoso said the local government is committed to helping the national government inform and educate the public about how important COVID-19 vaccination is to end the pandemic.
“COVID-19 vaccination ang susi sa pagbubukas muli ng ekonomiya,” Domagoso said in a statement.
“I want people to be able to return to work safely, they can ride public transportation again comfortably, businesses can open, those who have lost their jobs can move, children can go back to school,” the mayor added.
CODE Team officials visited the vaccine storage facility following a presentation by City Health Officer Dr. Arnold Pangan for the Manila COVID-19 Situation Report.
During the presentation, Dr. Pangan presented the response efforts of the local government, which includes the city’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, the construction of a vaccine storage facility, the deployment of 14 quarantine facilities, and the free swab test services for residents and workers, among others.
National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementor Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said “we have seen that the City of Manila is ready for the upcoming vaccination.”
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) director general Eric Domingo also assured the public they will only approve vaccines that are safe for public use.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told local government officials that “the President has promised that no one will be left behind. This problem will soon end. The vaccines will arrive for all Filipinos.”
In response, Domagoso assured the national government that the Manila City government “will continue to align ourselves towards our goal, which is our roadmap to vaccination.”