Start listing recipients, prepare budget for COVID-19 vaccine –Robredo

The government should begin listing down the initial recipients and prepare a budget for the distribution of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine while awaiting its rollout, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday.

Robredo said the suggestions will allow for a smoother vaccine distribution once it becomes available in the Philippines.

“Iyong plano, mayroon na siyang prioritization… ang suggestion ko, pangalan na,” she said in her weekly radio show. “Tao tao na. Magkaroon na ng lista, kasi iyong mga LGU naman, mayroon na silang listahan, iko-collate lang.”

“Halimbawa, kung sasabihin mong healthcare workers, ang dami-daming healthcare workers sa buong Pilipinas. Walang problema kung mapo-provide mo na agad lahat iyon all at the same time. Pero halimbawa mas kaunti iyong dumating, paano iyong pasunod-sunod na pag-prioritize?” she added.

Robredo also noted the lack of budget for vaccine storage equipment and urged authorities to request additional funds for logistics.

Pfizer Inc. earlier said the vaccine it had developed with German partner BioNTech SE was 95 percent effective and had no major side effects.

Moderna Inc. also reported that its COVID-19 vaccine was 94.5 percent effective based on data from a late-stage clinical trial.

However, the candidate vaccines will need to be stored in extremely low temperatures, posing challenges for countries with warm climates like the Philippines.

“Baka puwedeng… parang iyong nakabudget sa GAA (General Appropriations Act) for vaccines lang talaga, pero iyong for logistics, for storage, hindi pa doon kasali, so ang suggestion ko, bakit hindi na natin irequest na magkaroon ng budget for that?” Robredo said.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said senators had agreed to allocate more funds for COVID-19 vaccines and cold storage facilities.

The Philippines has tallied 418,818 COVID-19 infections as of Sunday afternoon, still the highest across the Western Pacific region. — DVM, GMA News