The city government has begun crafting a strategic plan to implement a mass vaccination of city residents, anticipating the delivery of at least 200,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines by the second semester of this year.
Mayor Lucilo Bayron, speaking during the regular flag-raising on January 18, announced that he signed a deal on January 11 with AstraZeneca for initially 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
He said they expect the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company to deliver the vaccines during the second quarter of the year.
“Noong January 11, at 3:57 ba yon or 3:47 p.m., yon ang timestamp nang signing natin ng order for 200,000 doses ng AstraZeneca na ang sabi ay ide-deliver sa second semester. Ibig sabihin from July to the second semester. Hindi sigurado na ide-deliver yong lahat ng yon kasi best effort dahil sa ang dami-daming order all over the world,” he said.
Despite this, Bayron said they are exerting efforts to look for other “acceptable” brands of vaccine to acquire for the city government’s inoculation activities that will be carried under the COVID-19 Vaccine (CoVac) Program.
In an earlier statement, he said an amount of P500 million had been set aside as CoVac funds to provide 400,000 doses of free vaccines to around 70 percent of the city population.
“Yong ating vaccination committee, gumagawa na ng roadmap para sa vaccination. Yon ay paghahanda… second-semester pa lang yan, hinahanda na yan… and we are being assisted technically by yong Zuellig Family Foundation na tumulong sa tatlong probinsya na gumawa ng kanilang roadmap,” Bayron said.
“Mabuti na lang naisama tayo sa technical assistance nila para susundan natin yong roadmap na yan in preparation doon sa actual day na matanggap natin yong mga vaccine para ma-inject natin sa mga mamamayan,” he added.
Bayron expects that the Sangguniang Panlungsod will approve Monday the P273 million supplemental budget for the vaccination program.
He said among primary signatories for the city’s vaccine orders are him, Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, and Sec. Francisco Duque III of the Department of Health (DOH).
