Provincial Health Officer Ernell Tumimbang is urging officials of local government units in Negros Occidental to buy biomedical refrigerators for the storage of the COVID-19 vaccines that will be delivered to the 31 towns and cities of the province.
The biomedical refrigerators can be used not just for the COVID-19 inoculation drive but for vaccines used in other immunization campaigns, Tumimbang said today, February 17.
“They should prepare for it. It will not be a waste of money since they can still use it (to store) other vaccines and it can also be used for laboratories,” Tumimbang said.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has asked the national government for 3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines for 1.5 million Negrenses.
The Provincial Incident Management Team members met with Lacson today to discuss preparations for the mass vaccination drive vs. COVID-19 in Negros Occidental.
The provincial government is buying cold storage boxes for the transport of the COVID-19 vaccines in a refrigerated vehicle to the 31 towns and cities of Negros Occidental, he said.
The refrigerated vehicle will be rented by the provincial government, he said.
Tumimbang said LGUs who buy biomedical refrigerators must have generators on standby in case of power interruptions.
A dry run of the vaccination process will be held in an LGU in the province so they can determine how fast they can deploy the vaccines and undertake the vaccination, he said.
They will also submit a vaccination plan to the Department of Health, he added.
They are currently identifying persons who will administer the vaccines, which will include midwives, Tumimbang said.
IN BACOLOD
Meanwhile, suppliers of freezers for the cold storage of COVID-19 vaccines will make presentations before the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center Task Force tomorrow, Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy for medical data analysis, said.
Mayor Evelio Leonardis wants the construction of a centralized cold room in Bacolod City expedited, he said.
The EOC will start training its COVID-19 vaccination and information drive teams on Friday, Sorongon also said.*