Gov't to hold COVID-19 vaccine rollout simulation on Tuesday, Feb. 9

The government is set to conduct on Tuesday morning a simulation exercise for the  COVID-19 vaccine rollout in preparation for the expected arrival of the first batch of vaccines next week.

The simulation will start from the vaccine's arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 where the vaccines will undergo customs clearance.

The simulation will then proceed to the loading of the vaccines in vehicles and their transport to the warehouse of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

When the vaccines are already unloaded from the vehicle, the warehouse will receive and inspect them.

The simulation will also include the transfer of the vaccines to storage facilities.

As part of the event, a press conference will be conducted with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, among others, in attendance.

Galvez earlier said  that 117,000 doses of  COVID-19 vaccines from the Pfizer-BioNTech under the COVAX facility will be the first batch that will reach the country.

Vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech require an ultra low temperature cold storage. If mishandled, the potency of the vaccines to provide protection from COVID-19 will be affected.

The first batch of vaccines is allotted for the personnel of COVID-19 referral hospitals like Philippine General Hospital in Manila and Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News