Duque: Gov't to need more cold storage capacity for vaccines starting August

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday said the government will need third party logistics providers for the cold storage of COVID-19 vaccines starting August.

A the hearing by the House Committee on Health on the government's vaccination program, Duque said current available facilities can only accommodate COVID-19 vaccines that will arrive in the country until July.

“Starting August 2021 to December 2021, kinakailanagn na po natin ng karagdagang storage capacity. Dito po papasok ang ating third party logistics provider para mapuno po 'yung puwang,” Duque said.

According to him, the Department of Health is still talking with third party logistics providers that will manage the storage and distribution of the vaccines.

The country will need cold storage facilities with 2 to 8 °C, -16 to -20 °C, and -70 to -80 °C.

For storage facilities with 2 to 8 °C and -16 to -20 degrees, Duque said the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and some regional hubs already have them.

“They can store the vaccines from February to July of this year,” he said,

Due to the limited capacity, third party logistics providers will store the vaccines that will arrive for the rest of the year.

“Mula August hangang December 2021, muli kukuha na naman po tayo ng mga third party logistic provider para po ma-accommodate 'yung ating mga bakuna,’ he said.

For storage facilities with -70 to -80 °C, Duque said five units of ultra low temperature freezers in RITM can accommodate over 1.4 million doses of vaccines.

Aside from these, he said the DOH is still studying to repurpose five more units of ultra low freezers.

“Hindi na po tayo maghahantay ng August. Ngayon pa lang po ay ginagawa na po namin nang pro-active at several steps ahead for ensuring an effective and successful rollout plan,” Duque added.

The Philippine government targets to secure 148 million doses of vaccine and vaccinate some 50 to 70 million Filipinos against COVID-19 this year. —KBK, GMA News