DMI partners with German firm for COVID-19 vaccine mobile storage facilities in Philippines

German cooling technology provider MECOTEC GmbH has inked an exclusive distributor partnership with local firm Deutsche Motorgeräte Inc. (DMI) to provide specialized mobile, hybrid containers that could be utilized in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippine market.

The partnership will make the MCF8 — a mobile, hybrid container that allows for the proper freezing, transport, storage, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines — available in the country starting the first quarter of 2021.

"Vaccine manufacturers, governments, hospitals, and local communities are facing significant challenges in transporting, storing, and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine options due to the requirement of maintaining a constant temperature from -20°C down to -80°C in order to retain their effectiveness. Currently, very few options are available to handle the distribution requirements of these vaccines," Enrico Klauer, chief executive officer of MECOTEC, said in an emailed statement.

"Through our partnership with DMI, we aim to help equip the Philippines with an effective solution that addresses these concerns as the local distribution of COVID-19 vaccines are on the horizon," he added.

According to the firm, the MCF8 has ISO container sizes of 20 to 40 feet that meet current transport standards for truck, railway, ship, and air, which can store up to a million vaccination doses in one 40-foot container and up to 500,000 doses in a 20-foot container.

"The local distribution of these vaccines require a thorough understanding of our geographical complexities. To address the lengthy logistical lead time often associated with transporting goods within our borders, we need a solution that would allow these vaccines to be stored and transported at the required temperature for a longer period of time," said DMI president Jess Co.

"With MECOTEC’s technology, we can efficiently address these concerns, and even reach smaller and more remote communities," he added.

The Philippines has already allocated P73.2 billion for the procurement of the vaccines, with P40 billion coming from multilateral agencies, P20 billion from domestic sources, and P13.2 billion from bilateral agreements.

Over the weekend, the Philippines through vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. inked a term sheet to secure some 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine Covovax, set to arrive in the country by the third quarter of 2021.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Sunday also said the country has secured some 25 million doses of the vaccine manufactured by Chinese firm Sinovac, even as the medicine has less efficacy and is more expensive than others.

Amid questions over its seeming "preference" for Sinovac, the government said that it does not favor any company and that the Sinovac vaccine is safe.

Meanwhile, the private sector has committed to procuring as much as 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, half of which will be donated to the Philippine government. —KG, GMA News