Gov’t forms COVID-19 vaccine cluster under Galvez

The Philippines’ COVID-19 task force has formed a body that will handle the procurement, supply chain and logistics management, as well as distribution of vaccines especially to priority recipients, Malacañang said Friday.

Approved by the task force on Thursday, the COVID-19 Vaccine Cluster is under Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the government’s pandemic response, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte’s designation of Galvez as the “vaccine czar” effectively abolished the COVID-19 Immunization Program Management Organizational Structure headed by the Department of Health.

Aside from procurement and distribution of the vaccines, Galvez will also supervise the vaccine risk communication and social preparation, act as spokesperson for vaccine matters, and enter into an agreement with a third party warehouse and logistics provider, as necessary.

He must also facilitate consensus on prioritization of vaccine recipients, develop protocol on accessing vaccines and facilitate the early issuance of the Certificate of Product Registration for the vaccines with the Food and Drug Administration, among other tasks.

Roque earlier said Galvez, a retired Armed Forces chief, got the job because vaccine distribution was “more of a logistics challenge than a medical challenge.”

Galvez said on Thursday that vaccination could begin by May 2021 if everything will go as planned.

The government plans to vaccinate around 20 million Filipinos for free. Priority will be given to the poor, policemen and soldiers. — RSJ, GMA News