LOCAL health officials are targeting to improve vaccine logistics as the initial doses are expected to arrive within the month.
The Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region, along with other partner agencies, spearheaded the first simulation exercise in Davao City early morning of Wednesday, February 10, in preparation for the initial arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines.
The exercise began at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport, also known as the Davao International Airport, the port of entry of the vaccines.
Here, the proper handling and delivery of the vaccines to its storage facility in the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) was demonstrated.
This is the first of the series of exercises that will be conducted in preparation for the arrival of the vaccines coming from the national government this February, as initially reported.
DOH-Davao Director Dr. Annabelle Yumang said the exercise is one of the critical steps in ensuring that vaccines will be delivered to the different vaccination sites "in a timely and safe manner."
"That means from the conduct of the loading, transport, unloading, receiving, and inspection of the vaccine will be reviewed by the whole team to assess the best practice, as well as what needs to be improved in this activity," Yumang said.
Based on their time record, it took about 34 minutes and 58 seconds for the vaccine to be unloaded from the cargo at the airport to the SPMC freezer.
"During that period, naa mi nakita nga dunay ang (we saw some delays in the) unloading of the vaccine," Yumang said.
While she said they still do not have a specific time frame, she added the shorter the handling time of the delivery, the better.
"The 34 minutes will serve as a baseline. We wanted, the next time, mas paspas ang handling (the handling is faster)," she said.
She also said they wanted to make sure that vaccines from the manufacturer will arrive safely to those who will be inoculated with it.
Dr. Raquel Montejo, Operation Chief of the Covid-19 Vaccination Program, said based on the national guidelines, more than 30 minutes of the logistical period would expose the vaccines to a higher temperature.
Montejo said the logistics team should be able to maintain the "cold chain" from the time the vaccine arrives in Manila to the vaccination site.
For the cold chain, she said there should be a "real-time temperature monitoring" to ensure that the prescribed temperature for storage of the vaccines is maintained.
Montejo said there is a need to conduct simulation exercises before the actual arrival of the vaccine to "test our local plans and implementation of policies at the local and regional level."
Deborah Legaspi, Food and Drug Administration in Davao Region (FDA-Davao) Mindanao East Cluster director, also noted some delays in the logistics.
Legaspi said the carrier must be closer to where the refrigerator is positioned to achieve a shorter time of delivery.
She said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) management, who manages the airport, did not allow them to go near the plane as this matter must be raised and approved by the Caap office in Manila.
She added they are also tasked to monitor the flow of distribution of the vaccines from the port of entry to the facilities and that health protocols and compliance to cold chain management must be followed to ensure that the efficacy of the vaccine will not be compromised.
FDA, one of the regulatory bodies in the vaccines' approval to be rolled out in the country, has also deployed inspectors at the airport to check the refrigerated van whether it is compliant with the cold chain management.
"This is to check the preparedness of the participating agency, as well as the preparedness of the health facility, which is the SPMC," SPMC officer-in-charge Dr. Ricardo Audan said.
Acting Davao City Health Office head (CHO) Dr. Ashley Lopez said vaccines must be transported properly for it not to spoil.
With the limitations of the city's storage, Lopez admitted that handling the vaccine could be challenging.
Lopez reiterated the city is still maximizing its resources to find an "ultra storage facility" especially for vaccines that require a sub-zero room temperature.
Audan said the hospital will be the center of the vaccine trial because they will be the first to receive and administer it to their health workers.