To determine the local government’s readiness, the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) on Covid-19 held a simulation on Wednesday for the handling of the vaccines’ arrival here.

The simulation started with the vaccines arriving at the Davao International Airport (DIA), followed by transport, acceptance, and storage at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).

The 5,000 doses of vaccines–stored inside SPMC’s Metrobank Foundation Molecular Laboratory–would then be inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Health (DOH), and SPMC management.

In a press briefing after the simulation, DOH-11 director Annabelle Yumang underscored the importance of readiness in the vaccines’ handling.

“One of the critical steps will be the delivery to various sites in a timely and safe manner. Loading, transporting, and inspecting will be reviewed. The shorter the handling time of the delivery, the better,” Yumang said.

She added it would also ensure that the vaccines are really safe starting from the manufacturer before these will be administered to the recipients.

“We are one step closer to a more normal life as the vaccines will be made available to all Filipinos,” Yumang added.

She also clarified that the simulation is for the preparation of the ultra-low vaccine with -70 to -80 degrees Celsius.

“That’s why we need an ultra-low freezer for its storage,” she said.

She said the vaccines are set to arrive in the country on February 12, although no date has been set for when these will arrive in the city.

Meanwhile, Dr. Raquel Montejo, operations chief of the Covid-19 Vaccination Program in the Davao Region, said the simulation would test and review the RTF’s local plans.

“Assessment will help us identify the strength and gaps, in the end, to end supply chain system, meaning vaccines coming from Manila up to administering. We also need to ensure that we have a real-time temperature monitoring and tracking from the manufacturer to the delivery logistics up to the vaccination location,” she added.

Dr. Ashley Lopez, head of the Davao City Health Office, said the city is equipped with a new ultra-low freezer at the Los Amigos Molecular Laboratory.

“If there is a need to augment to the capacity of the storage with the SPMC, we can use it,” Lopez said, adding that the freezer can accommodate 35,000 vials. (PNA)