As the country gears up for the arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines which need to be stored at low temperature, the local government of this town inspected on Saturday a cold storage facility where the vaccines will be kept.

Mayor Tessie Vistan, together with other officials of the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force Against Covid-19, visited Royale Cold Storage facility in Barangay Bulihan here, checking the readiness to keep Covid-19 vaccines set to arrive next month.

“We make sure we have a proper cold storage facility before the vaccines arrive in our town,” she said.

Vistan said the local government unit tapped the Royale Cold Storage as a storage facility for the Covid-19 vaccines.

“Ito ay kayang mag-hold ng 352,000 doses ng Covid-19 vaccines. Kaya napili namin ito dahil world-class ang facility at saka protektado ang ating bakuna dito. Nakakatiyak tayo hindi mapapaso ang bakuna (This can hold 352,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines. That is why we chose it because the facility is world-class and then our vaccine is protected here. We are confident the vaccine will not expire,” she said.

Royal Cold Storage chief executive officer Ferdinand Tongson said each palette with 28,000 doses costs only PHP70 per day.

“Our facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that can consistently maintain the right temperature of sensitive products, such as vaccines, at all times, even in the event of a power outage,” Tongson said.

One room, he said, contains 384 pallets that are capable of storing 11,000 doses.

He added they will open 16 rooms in February and an additional 16 new rooms with different temperatures that can store 352,000 doses of Covid-19 in March.

It was learned that Royal Cold Storage can accommodate AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines that require temperature at 2 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius.

Vistan said she is also ready to get vaccinated first in case a vaccine arrived because she is already a senior citizen who is a priority to be injected.

“We are continuously preparing with the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force of the Plaridel municipal government for our local government’s vaccination program,” she added.

As of Saturday, the Municipal Health Office of Plaridel reported a total of 481 confirmed Covid-19 cases in this town with 17 active cases, 443 recoveries, and 21 fatalities. (PNA)