SIMULATION EXERCISE. A full-scale simulation exercise on the Covid-19 vaccine arrival and deployment at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Tuesday (Feb. 9, 2021) morning. The activity included the arrival of the vaccines at the airport; Customs clearance; loading and transport of the vaccines to the RITM warehouse; unloading, receiving and inspection of the vaccines; and putting away of vaccines for storage. (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)
MANILA – The country is prepared to receive the first batch of Covid-19 vaccine shipment expected to arrive this month as systems are already in place, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.
“Para sa akin po kung ire-rate natin, nasa 80 percent po tayo out of 100 (For me, if we’re going to rate [our preparedness], we’re at 80 percent out of 100,” Galvez said during a media briefing at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City.
In preparation for the shipment, a full-scale simulation exercise on the Covid-19 vaccine arrival and deployment was held at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 Tuesday morning.
The activity included the arrival of the vaccines at the airport; Customs clearance; loading and transport of the vaccines to the RITM warehouse; unloading, receiving and inspection of the vaccines; and putting away of vaccines for storage.
“Ang target natin, clearing sa Bureau of Customs – 30 minutes, loading of the vaccines – 15 minutes, transport of vaccines – more or less 20 minutes, pagpunta sa warehouse – 30 minutes. All in all 120 minutes. Pero nakita natin kanina, nakuha natin (Our target is clearing by Bureau of Customs – 30 minutes, loading of the vaccines – 15 minutes, transport of vaccines – more or less 20 minutes, going to the warehouse – 30 minutes. All in all 120 minutes. But we saw earlier, we got it for) more or less 50 minutes,” Galvez said.
He added that the smooth transportation of the vaccines from the airport to the warehouse could be attributed to the tight security provided by the Philippine National Police.
Meantime, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said simulation exercises for the distribution of the vaccines were also conducted at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Lung Center of the Philippines.
“Pupunta din ang mga bakuna sa Cebu City, Davao City, a-unload iyan, we’ll do the same exercise, ilalagay sa refrigerated vans, at dadalhin doon sa (These vaccines will also go to Cebu City, Davao City, they’ll be unloaded, we’ll do the same exercise, they’ll be placed in refrigerated vans and will be transported to) Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and South Philippines Medical Center,” Duque added.
Galvez noted that a final rehearsal would be conducted internally – without media coverage – two or three days before the arrival of the vaccines. (PNA)
