QC gov't finalizing talks for purchase of 750,000 doses COVID-19 vaccines

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government is finalizing its talks with a pharmaceutical firm for its purchase of 750,000 doses of vaccines against the coronavirus for its residents.

In a statement on Tuesday, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said they are ready for acquisition of the vaccines. “After implementing our test, isolate, and treat strategy, vaccination is our game plan now. This free vaccination program will definitely complete our efforts against the deadly virus,” she added.

For its vaccination program, the city’s 10,000 health workers, 300,000 senior citizens and 20,000 adult persons with disabilities will be prioritized, Belmonte added.

The city government is also in the process of reviewing and finalizing its database for its priority list.

The QC government announced early in December that it has set aside an initial P1 billion in its 2021 budget for the purchase of vaccines and supplies for inoculation.

Belmonte said that the city government’s budget may increase depending on the cost of vaccines, supplies and other factors. She added: “As soon as we have rolled out this vaccination program, we will definitely prepare for the next distribution and budget.”

QC Task Force on COVID-19 Head Joseph Juico for his part said: “The deal will be completed anytime soon with one of the leading pharmaceutical companies. With a sealed partnership, we can immediately secure thousands of vaccines for our people.”

LGUs allocate budget for vaccination of residents

The Quezon City government is just one of several local government units that have announced allocating part of their 2021 budget for the purchase of vaccines for their citizens.

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay said their LGU has allocated P1-billion for the vaccination of all their residents. Binay said they are also preparing for online registration for the vaccination program.

In Manila, Mayor Isko Moreno is urging the capital’s residents to sign up on its website for vaccine registration. Moreno added that they have allotted P250-million as its initial budget for vaccines.

Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian was quoted in an ABS-CBN report as saying that it has set aside an initial amount of P150 million for vaccine purchase.

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto meanwhile has told Teleradyo that they have allotted roughly P300 million for vaccines, but budget may still increase.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan meanwhile assured their citizens that P125-million has been set aside for vaccines, to “augment” vaccination program of the national government.

Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto also said they intend to vaccinate 310,000 residents of the town with an initial fund of P150 million for its program.

The Department of Health meanwhile called on LGUs to work with them to ensure a “more effective” deployment of coronavirus vaccines, once available, to their residents.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday: “We are now in talks with local government so we can have a unified effort and there won’t be any technicalities and also we can be able to monitor as well.” — Kristine Joy Patag

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Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com. This article was produced following editorial guidelines.

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