CEBU, Philippines — Only minor glitches were observed during the simulation exercise of the cold chain and logistics management of the COVID-19 vaccines from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center on Tuesday.
Department of Health-7 director Jaime Bernadas said the exercise was generally successful but he noted some challenges, among them was that all of these monitoring devices shall be made feasible so that everybody gets to monitor each transit upon arrival to its station and directly to the recipient institution.
Bernadas said that these minor hitches are more on the logistics side especially on the transport side like the monitor of the temperature log shall have been visible so that it will not be for the recipient to be looking at them or looking after them as it arrives
“It was generally successful, the time was within the time frame that was projected to be. There were some minor kinks that we observed based on the agreed protocol and what happen. But these were correctible ones that’s why the exercise was fruitful so that the minor details of the plan that was omitted shall have been addressed and shall be corrected as it comes in the actual transport of the vaccines,” Bernadas said during a virtual media forum yesterday.
Bernadas added that the exercise was meant to orient their partners, the media and the public on how the national government and the recipient regional offices and the recipient hospital response to the transport of the vaccines which the time element of which is very much critical in the handling and distribution of the vaccines.
The DOH-7 chief said that regional vaccination program is patterned after the national government vaccination plan which targets 100 percent of the population but the initial 35 percent will be the frontliners, the senior citizens, indigent population and the rest of government as frontliners and their partners in the hospital and in the private sector.
Bernadas said that 585 vials times 5 doses or around 1,900 doses will arrive in Cebu (for VSMMC frontliners and employees only) between February 12 to 15 as initial share of Cebu out of the first batch of 114,000 doses to arrive in the country.
‘Get vaccinated’
As the country gears up the vaccine rollout next week, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered yesterday the Philippine National Police (PNP) to treat and secure vaccines as gold.
“Ang mga bakuna na ‘yan ay parang ginto lalo na ngayong kulang pa ang supply kaya pinaghahanda natin ang PNP sa anumang insidente,” said DILG Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and Undersecretary Bernardo Florece Jr.
More than a historical milestone, the national vaccination program aims to save lives and is expected to put an end to this pandemic, Florece said.
As such, the DILG has directed the PNP to be in close coordination with the LGUs so that these vaccines are secured and protected.
“Pagdating sa airport hanggang sa maiturok ang mga ito, kasama na ang ating kapulisan,” said Florece.
The National Task Force COVID-19 aims to inoculate first the healthcare sector’s 1.4 million individuals.
Florece said that as a member of the Task Group Supply Chain and Logistics, the PNP is expected to be a constant presence in accordance with the national government’s vaccination plan, primarily to secure and protect the COVID-19 vaccines and the team that will be administering them.
According to the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan, local officials such as barangay captains and barangay safety officers, including the barangay tanods, are also expected to aid in the vaccination.
“Tulad ng lagi nating paalala, we need all the help that we can get sa pandemyang ito lalo na sa nalalapit na pagbabakuna sa ating bansa kaya ang ating PNP, kasama ang mga pinuno ng barangay at mga tanod, ay inaasahan nating makikipagtulungan at makikiisa,” Florece said. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, JMD (FREEMAN)