MANILA – Newly-appointed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. will present to President Rodrigo Duterte today the country’s vaccine roadmap and timeline.
Galvez, who also serves as chief implementer of the National Policy against COVID-19, said the roadmap would serve as an avenue to “normalcy and full economic recovery.”
He added that among those considered in the roadmap design were safety and underlying health risks, efficacy, sensitivity, costs and supply chain requirements, access for clinical trials, local production and distribution as well as complexity on the implementation.
“Most likely, the vaccine will be available by early next year [2021],” Galvez said during Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s virtual presser. “The roadmap’s phases are composed of four operation cycles – assessment, planning, preparation, and execution.”
Based on the critical timeline of the vaccine roadmap created by Galvez’s group, from November to December this year, the government will organize a panel of experts on vaccination.
By the end of this year, the government targets the approval of vaccine analysis, selection and procurement. This also includes the beginning of various clinical trials for potential COVID-19 vaccines.
The government also aims to complete bilateral and multilateral engagements with other governments as well as the private sector. The scientific evaluation, selection and guaranteed acquisition of the vaccine should be completed by the end of December.
From January to March 2021, the government targets to complete the procurement process, production, shipment, and storage for the vaccine as well as the implementation plan should be ready rollout.
“The planning for the country’s vaccination program sustains a whole-of-government approach,” said Galvez, who noted that the Department of Health will serve as the primary response agency all throughout the stages of the Philippine national vaccine roadmap and timeline.
Galvez, meanwhile, cited the significant assistance the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines could provide in terms of vaccine storage and manpower.
“The organizational structure for the vaccination rollout is composed of inter-agency approach and the majority of the information needed during the implementation will be coming from the health sectors and the LGUs,” Galvez said./PN
