Storage facilities in Metro Manila will be able to handle the expected deluge of anti-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines in the coming months.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos made this guarantee during the an interview Sunday morning, April 25, over DZBB radio.
"Hindi naman , naka-schedule naman 'yan na maigi. Mamaya pag-uusapan namin (The warehouses won't get full, we've properly scheduled them)," Abalos said when asked about the possibility of the storage facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR) getting full.
Abalos confirmed in the same interview that he would have a meeting with the 17 mayors that comprise the Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Sunday night. The MMC is the policy-making body of the MMDA.
Vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19, earlier said that nearly 14 million jabs from four foreign vaccine manufacturers will make their way to the Philippines this second quarter.
Some 7 to 8 million of the vaccine doses will arrive in June, Galvez said.
Asked if the intention is to immediately roll out the arriving vaccines instead of keeping them in storage, Abalos said yes.
It's been widely reported that COVID-19 vaccines need to be kept at a certain low temperature, or else they would go to waste.
The MMDA boss said that "mega" vaccination sites will play a critical role as the country receives more and more vaccines either from donations or government procurement. Authorities are banking on larger vaccination sites and drive-through sites to speed up the inoculation of Filipinos toward the goal of herd immunity.
"Importante mga mega-sites eh. And importante dito, yung mga malalaking malls nago-offer sila for this (Mega-sites are important. The important thing here is, the big malls are offering themselves for this)," Abalos said.