Razon-led firms boost vax drive with Moderna

MANILA, Philippines — The Razon Group had administered 309,252 doses of the mRNA Moderna vaccines as of Nov. 22, International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said.

The vaccination program is through the initiative of Razon’s International Container Terminal Services Inc. and Bloomberry Resorts Corp.

The Solaire-ICTSI Foundation Vaccination Center – Nayong Pilipino Foundation (SIVC-NPF), which opened in August, administered 158,515 doses while the Solaire Resort and Casino administered 150,737 doses.

The SIVC-NPF administers close to 1,000 doses daily, while the SIVC-Solaire administers about 600 doses daily.

The two sites recorded the highest rollout last Nov. 13 with a combined total of 5,537 doses.

The Razon Group spent P250 million to install support facilities as part of the 20 million doses of joint procurement of Moderna vaccines by the national government and the private sector represented by ICTSI.

Of the 20 million doses, 13 million were allotted to the public sector, while the private sector ordered seven million doses.

ICTSI installed a temporary cold storage and drive-through vaccination facility in a 10,000-square meter lot within the NPF property.

“We are heartened by the turnout of vaccine recipients and have received positive feedback from them on the speed and efficiency of the process in both sites – from registration to the actual queuing and inoculation, which takes only about 15 minutes. If you successfully register today, you will be scheduled the following day. Before opening, we simulated the entire process for timing,” said Christian Gonzalez, ICTSI executive vice president.