Local government units (LGUs) that will end up mishandling the supply of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines allotted to them will pay a heavy price, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. warned Friday, July 16.
Galvez, also the chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19), said LGUs are obliged to ensure that every dose of vaccine given to them will be used for the benefit of the public and won't go to waste.
He cited a case in Muntinlupa City where the local government announced that an undetermined number of Pfizer vaccines will be discarded after its storage temperature was reportedly compromised.
"We will not give them Pfizer anymore. Ang mga vaccines ay very sensitive at hindi nila kayang i-handle. We will minimize doon sa LGUs na hindi prepared (Our vaccines are very sensitive and they cannot handle it. We will minimize to LGUs that are not prepared)," said Galvez in a virtual briefing.
"We will sanction the concerned LGUs and concerned safety officer," he added.
Aside from a reduced supply, the vaccine czar did not elaborate on what additional penalties will be imposed on LGUs and safety officers responsible for vaccine wastage.
In a now-deleted advisory on Facebook by the Muntinlupa LGU, it said that several doses of the Pfizer vaccines will no longer be used in their inoculation program after the storage facility where the jabs were kept encountered a change in the temperature.
Pfizer is one of the most effective yet sensitive brands in the vaccine portfolio of the national government. It needs to be stored at a cold chain facility at a temperature of -80 to -60 degrees Celsius (frozen solution) to maintain its efficacy.
A vaccine safety officer is assigned to each vaccination site in the communities to ensure that the jabs are preserved correctly before they are injected to the intended recipients.
Galvez said the vaccine supply in the country remains limited although the bulk of the procurements made by the government have already started arriving.
He emphasized that LGUs should ensure that the vaccines are at the best condition once they are given to the people.
"Once are compromised, it will endanger the health of the people," he noted.