A lightning-fast vaccine rollout could help facilitate a safe reopening of the economy and initiate its recovery by the final quarter of the year, according to Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion.
Presidential adviser on entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion (PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
To help attain this goal, Concepcion said the private sector is prepared to fund its own vaccination program, from the acquisition of the vaccines to the logistic costs for the smooth distribution of these life-saving drugs.
Zuellig has been chosen as the logistics partner to ensure an "effective and efficient" rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccines recently procured by the private sector, he said.
“The private sector is willing to pay for everything. In our town hall meeting last Thursday with the AstraZeneca donors, all companies agreed to fund and pay for the logistics cost of the vaccine roll-out," Concepcion, also founder of Go Negosyo, said in a statement.
"Our premise here is economic recovery. Economic recovery should start in the last quarter provided that no major lockdowns are set in place and that the rollout of the vaccine will be at a lightning speed,” he added.
The country has secured 17 million vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca last January with the help of private companies and local government units. The first batch of the vaccines is expected to start arriving in the country by May.
Under "A Dose of Hope" program, Concepcion said the private sector is expected to forge a tripartite deal with Zuellig and the government to formalize the logistics partnership for the vaccine rollout.
He recognized that it was important to have a logistic partner with a strong market coverage, equipped with the latest technology from a strong blockchain technology, cold chain facilities, and a strong end-to-end program, among others.
Concepcion also said he was looking forward to the smooth vaccine rollout, which he claimed was a critical factor to further reopen the economy "more and safer" despite the latest coronavirus case surge.
"We need a fast and almost perfect rollout and the private sector could do this for its employees," Concepcion said.
He said vaccination is part of saving lives and jobs. Vaccines are the "only solution for this pandemic," he added.
“We want to help the government so that we can execute the vaccine rollout in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Extending our help to the government, we will also pay for the logistics and rollout for the government’s frontline workers that will be covered by our donations," he said.
He said the private sector could focus on the vaccination of its employees while the local government units handle the immunization of their constituents. The national government could then pay attention to the vaccination of the rest of the populace.