The Manila City government began constructing its coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccine storage facility at Sta. Ana Hospital on Wednesday.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said the Manila COVID-19 Vaccine Storage Facility will measure around 100 square meters.
It will hold the 12 refrigeration units that the city government recently bought to store various COVID-19 vaccines. Domagoso said the refrigeration units can store the vaccines at normal to subzero temperatures.
The Manila mayor said he chose the hospital as the site for the storage facility because even when there are power interruptions, the hospital has power generators that can protect the integrity of the vaccines.
He also instructed members of the city government to coordinate with Meralco to ensure the steady power supply at Sta. Ana Hospital, he said in an interview with DZRH on Wednesday.
Domagoso said he is hoping that the construction of the said facility will be finished within the month, before the arrival of the city's initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Domagoso inked a deal earlier with British-Swedish biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the advance purchase of 800,000 vaccines that will benefit 400,000 residents.
The Manila city government allocated a P250-million budget for the procurement of the said vaccines.
Frontline health workers, barangay health workers, senior citizens and members of vulnerable sectors, public school teachers, and those who pre-registered at the manilacovid19vaccine.com website will be prioritized in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.
As of Wednesday, up to 67,000 people have pre-registered and reserved their slots for the vaccine.
Eventually, the city government will offer the vaccine to everyone, even if they are not residents or workers of the capital city, the local chief executive said.