Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday (January 6) signed a deal with British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the advance purchase of 750,000 coronavirus disease-(COVID-19) vaccines that will be given free to residents.
Around 375,000 Quezon City residents are expected to benefit from the two-dose vaccine.
In December 2020, the QC LGU announced that they were allocating P1-billion for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, syringes, personal protective equipment (PPE) sets, and other items needed for its vaccination program.
Belmonte said the city government will prioritize the city's 10,000 health workers, 300,000 senior citizens, 20,000 adult persons with disabilities, and other priority sectors as recommended by the World Health Organization in their immunization program.
The Quezon City mayor thanked the city council for its swift passage of a resolution authorizing her to enter into a tripartite agreement with the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and the AstraZeneca.
The Quezon City Task Force on COVID-19 Head Joseph Juico said they are finalizing the logistics in their COVID-19 vaccination program. He assured residents that the vaccine to be used will be required to secure approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
AstraZeneca's vaccines cost $10 or around P500 per dose.