DOH: COVID-19 vaccines rollout set, assures safety and efficacy

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – The government through the Department of Health (DOH) is set to rollout the COVID-19 vaccines in the latter part of February, said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a “Mugstori Ta” an online conversation hosted by Assistant Secretary Anthony Gerard Gonzales of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV).

Vergeire disclosed that according to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) 117,000 Pfizer vaccines are expected by second or third week of February and another 5,000,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered by COVAX facility between the first and second quarter of this year.

“Preparations are now underway and within three days after the arrival of the vaccines, the vaccination program will be rolled out,” she added.

Because of the limited supply of COVID vaccines globally, the national government shall prioritize the distribution and preparations have been ongoing to ensure the smooth and efficient vaccine distribution once the vaccines are delivered to the country.

According to Vergeire that the government vaccination program follows the prioritization framework recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) that gives priority to the vulnerable and those at most risk.

“Healthcare workers, senior citizens and indigent citizens are among the top priorities in the vaccination program, she added.

Vergeire bared that of the initial delivery of 117,000 vaccines only 58,500 health care workers can be vaccinated since the rest will be reserved for their second dose.

The DOH-designated COVID hospitals will be the first to receive the Pfizer vaccines and aside from being on the frontline in the fight against COVID, hospitals should have the capacity to store the vaccine, she added.

Based on the principles endorsed by the Interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (TAG) that master listing with demographics and health profiles is a great help to identify eligible population groups to guide operational planning and create a central database needed for efficient post-vaccine monitoring, Vergeire said.

In Central Visayas meanwhile, DOH-7 regional director Jaime Bernadas bared that the regional office has an existing cold storage capacity at two to eight degree Celsius with a capacity of up to 3.5 million COVID vaccines.

Bernadas said that COVID vaccines must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, DOH-7 regional office and the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) are each acquiring freezers capable of minus 80 degrees Celsius. The VSMMC is a designated COVID hospital.

Pfizer vaccines must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius while Moderna vaccines can be stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, the Astra-Zeneca vaccines must kept at two to eight degrees Celsius, DOH officials disclosed.

According to Bernadas that the VSMMC freezer which has a capacity of 400,000 vaccines at minus 80 degrees Celsius, will be delivered on February 15 or 16 while the DOH-7 freezer with a similar capacity will also arrive next week to provide redundancy capacity.

 A simulation exercise for the vaccination rollout is conducted on February 10 in Cebu and Davao in preparation for the rollout of the vaccines from the national hub to the regional hub, Bernadas said.

Usec Vergeire assured the public that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and these are used under the Emergency Use Authority (EUA) and the clinical trials underwent very rigid processes to ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

“Sinisiguro po ng ating gobyerno yung mga vaccines na iro-rollout po sa bansa natin ay ligtas at makapagbibigay ng mataas na benepisyo sa mga mababakunahan,” Usec Vergeire said. The current vaccines, she added reduce the risk of severe disease and risk of death and are most suited for those with higher risk of exposure and death.

Currently, Pfizer and AstraZeneca have already been granted with an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their eventual public roll-out in the country.

Those that received EUAs have gone through stringent scientific and regulatory processes to verify their safety and efficacy.  There are three other vaccine makers that have applied for EUA and are now being processed, Vergeire said. (Photos: Google files)