DOH tells LGUs: Vaccines, food stuff must be stored separately

Vaccines against COVID-19 and food items should be kept in separate storage facilities, the Department of Health reminded local government units on Saturday.

During a Laging Handa briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said storing food products and COVID-19 vaccines together is “not in any way part” of the [policy] of the DOH and the national government.

“Sinabi na po natin (We said) the vaccines should have separate storage. It should not be mixed with food items,” Vergeire said referring to reports that some LGUs have existing cold storage deals with some food chain suppliers.

According to Vergeire, the government has acquired some brands of vaccines that require between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius storage temperature.

“Baka ‘yung ibang mga LGU, dahil mayroon tayong mga bakuna na pede sa 2 to  8 °C,  ay naisasama sa mga pagkain sa refrigerator" (Chances are, there might be LGUs that mix the vaccines with food items in the refrigerator), Vergeire said.

This is not the right way of storing the vaccines, she pointed out.

Currently, the Philippines is using Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNtech, and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine brands.

Storage temperature requirements for these brands are the following:

• Pfizer vaccines require -80 °C to -60 °C, but can be stored for five days at 2 to 8 °C temperature. 
• Sputnik V vaccine - requires temperature not exceeding -18 °C and stored in a dark place.
• AstraZeneca vaccine - can be stored up to six months between at 2 to 7 °C, a normal refrigerator temperatures. 
• Sinovac vaccine - requires a temperature of 2 to 8 °C .

—LBG, GMA News