MANILA, Philippines — The government is coordinating with more than 30 logistics companies as it prepares for the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines it ordered from various drug makers, an official said Tuesday.
National Task Force against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said the government has spoken to 28 third-party logistics firms and is talking to five others to ensure that there would be cold storage facilities for the vaccines.
"We need very special facilities for the vaccines to be delivered. This is what they call pharma-grade cold chain facilities or pharma-grade cold storage facilities. These more than 30 companies are the biggest and they have this capacity," Dizon said at a press briefing.
The 28 companies that the government has spoken with are Orca, Royal Cargo, Maersk Shipping, Grepcor Diamonde, Pharmaserv, Vantaztic Inc., LBC Express Inc., Distriphil, Metropac Movers, Royal Cold Storage, Coolaire, Centiforce, M-Fast Logistics, Zuellig, Genson Distribution Inc., SMX Convention Center, Medical Rescue, Dynatronics/Braintech, Cebu Pacific, Skyjet Airlines, 2GO, Smart-Tradzt, Novatus Technologies, IP Biotech Inc., PAL, Sinobest, Frabelle Cold Chain, and Cold Chain Care. The government will also hold talks with DB Schenker, AAI Worldwide Logistics, DHL Global Forwarding, Regulus Global and Air Speed on January 21.
Dizon said the negotiations with the logistics firms are now in the "very advanced" stage.
"But even if we have spoken to more than 30 companies, our vaccine czar (Carlito Galvez, Jr.) and the Department of Health will still talk to different companies and associations like the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines, especially for areas that are in the provinces," Dizon said.
Dizon said Galvez, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and other members of the task force would conduct inspections of the storage facilities starting Wednesday, January 20.
"We have coordinated closely with different vaccine companies to determine what should be done to preserve the vaccines once they arrive in the Philippines. Secretary Galvez also coordinated closely with different private sector companies that can handle these kinds of sensitive medicines," he added.
Government in talks with more than 30 firms for storage of COVID-19 vaccines
A picture taken on January 15, 2021, shows phials of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19, stored at -70 ° in a super freezer of the hospital of Le Mans, northwestern France as the country carry on a vaccination campaign to fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. After dilution the vial contains five doses of 0,3ml for intramuscular use.
AFP/JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER