Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 18) – The San Juan City government is now in talks with local cold chain companies for the storage of COVID-19 vaccines.
San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word that securing a cold storage facility is important for the local vaccination program for the city’s over 50,000 residents after they secured 100,000 doses from the UK-based pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca last week.
Zamora revealed the national government told the Metro Manila Council that each local government unit in the region will be allocated COVID-19 vaccine doses made by US drugmaker Pfizer, which requires around negative 70 degrees Celsius temperature for its storage.
“We do not plan to build or buy any cold storage facility because we are only a small city. What we are doing is we are coordinating with companies that we can rent from,” said Zamora.
The San Juan City mayor assured his residents they are now coming up with the vaccine priority list so they will be prepared once the vaccines arrive in the city. Vaccine education and information drive is also being implemented in the city to make residents feel safe on getting inoculated by the vaccine.
“I have volunteered to be the first to get vaccinated here in San Juan. I have to set an example to everyone because if the mayor is frightened, then the vaccine has a problem,” declared Zamora, who is ready to get vaccinated by either AstraZeneca or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Zamora also emphasized the city government will discuss budget allocation for future immunization efforts to their residents in sustaining a possible herd immunity in the area.
