The local government of Quezon City is increasing the procurement of the AstraZeneca vaccine after signing a tripartite agreement with the pharmaceutical company and the national government.
From the initial 750,000 doses, the city will now procure 1.1 million doses, the LGU said Monday (January 11) .
This means that about 550,000 residents will be inoculated with the vaccine once it arrives in the country by the third quarter of 2021.
"This is part of the plan of our Task Force Vax to Normal. Now that we have secured 1.1 million doses, we will continue talking to other pharmaceutical companies to secure more vaccines for QCitizens to complement the national government’s goal. When more QCitizens are vaccinated, we can soon achieve herd immunity,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
The city council recently approved a resolution authorizing Belmonte to enter into a tripartite agreement with the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and the AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines for the advance purchase of coronavirus vaccines.
Task Force Vax to Normal co-chairman Joseph Juico assured the city residents that the local government will focus on the inoculation program, including the identification of beneficiaries, administration of the vaccines, and monitoring of the individuals who will receive the vaccines.
"While we will be handling all systems and processes of this program, the national government will supervise us in all areas. We will ensure that our efforts are in line with the national government’s roadmap and vaccine guidelines,” he said.
The QC LGU said it will also increase the number of its healthcare workers "by two to three times more," while finalizing its vaccination sites which will be "strategically" located in nine different sites.
Currently, the local government is in talks with a third party private company for the storage and handling of the vaccines. The said partnership will also "be long-term and will include management of the city’s vaccines for polio, measles, and others."