By Joseph B.A. Marzan and Dolly Yasa
The local sanggunians of Bacolod City and Iloilo province authorized their respective chief executives to strike deals with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Bacolod City Council passed a resolution Wednesday authorizing Mayor Evelio Leonardia to sign a vaccine availment agreement with AstraZeneca.
The same resolution was also passed by the Iloilo provincial board on Thursday, giving Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. the authority to strike the same deal with the British pharma firm.
AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England, has partnered with the University of Oxford in developing a vaccine against COVID-19.
The Sangguiang Panlalawigan of Iloilo formally allowed Defensor to ink a PHP95-million deal with the national government and British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
The legislative body held a special emergency session upon Defensor’s request.
Two letters by the governor sought the Sanggunian’s approval – authority to enter into a multilateral agreement for the Advance Purchase of AZD1222 vaccine in the Philippines, and ratification of the Confidentiality Agreement for and in behalf of the Iloilo Provincial Government with AstraZeneca’s Philippine branch.
The governor previously refused to disclose AstraZeneca as the manufacturer, citing the confidentiality agreement.
Both requests by the governor were unanimously approved by the body.
271,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be ordered by the provincial government using the PHP95-million budget.
The budget for the procurement of the vaccines is part of the provincial government’s Annual Investment Plan for 2021.
The capitol is preparing the procurement even before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve COVID-19 vaccines that are already available in the market. The Department of Health (DOH) also has yet to issue the guidelines on COVID-19 vaccine administration.
Just like other vaccines from other developers, the AztraZeneca vaccine will be administered in two doses, which means that 135,000 people in the province will be vaccinated under.
In Bacolod, the Sangguniang Panlungsod also authorized Leonardia to sign the procurement deal and Confidentiality Agreement with AstraZeneca.
“I would like to thank Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and the Sangguniang Panlungsod for immediately granting my request for an authority to sign the non-disclosure agreement with AstraZeneca and the multilateral agreement between and among AstraZeneca, the national government through the National Task Force Against COVID-19, the Department of Health, and the City Government of Bacolod,” Leonardia said in a statement.
The SP authority to contract with AstraZeneca came a day after the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), headed by Leonardia as national president, and the LCP Committee on Vaccine Availment, chaired by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, met with top officials of AstraZeneca in a virtual dialog.
PRIORITIES
Iloilo Vice Governor Christine Garin said health and medical frontliners will be first priority in the province’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
“First and foremost will be our frontliners, health practitioners, [Rural Health Unit personnel], hospital [personnel], they will be the first. They will be followed by our senior citizens. The 135,000 compare to our population of 2.1 [million] will not be enough, but right now it’s the only [number] the province can do, so we will do this gradually,” Garin said in an interview.
The vice governor added that it is not sure when the vaccines will arrive due to the global health demand, but she hopes that it will arrive by the third quarter of this year.
The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), a group of vaccine experts within the World Health Organization, developed a Fair Allocation Framework for the COVID-19 vaccines in response to the demand.
Under the Framework, an initial proportional allocation of doses should be given to cover at least 20% of their total population.
This will be followed by a phase to cover up the rest of the population.
A weighted allocation approach would be adopted, taking into account the country’s COVID threat and vulnerability levels, should supply constraints arise.
“As to when the vaccines will arrive, it is not sure yet because this is only for reservation, but we are hoping that by the third quarter of this year, it will arrive. The province has the funds [to procure more vaccines], but there is an allocation for each province and city, including Iloilo,” the vice governor added.
In a press conference on Thursday, Defensor said education on vaccines is also necessary for a successful administration of the COVID-19 vaccines in the future.
Public perceptions on vaccines had dwindled after the news reports on dengue vaccine Dengvaxia broke out in 2017.
“The [COVID-19] vaccine is still in development and the people will not be able to accept the vaccines easily. Surveys say that not everyone will want it, that’s why we still have to educate our citizens,” Defensor said in a press conference.
The governor said the budget allocation and number of doses to be ordered were based on the national government’s vaccine rollout policy.
He added that this was similar to the procurement of face masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), where there was an initial surge in demand due to shortage.
“The initial budget set aside is in line with the provincial and national government policy. We don’t put everything in one basket. There are many manufacturers, many types. In the end, it may be like our facemasks and PPEs, where initially we were looking everywhere and fighting over them, but this will develop, and as we go along, this will multiply, so the program will change. We just gave a reasonable estimate,” the governor added.
He also said that the provincial government is open to allocating additional budget for more vaccines, and that the local government units under the province may also seek to procure vaccines for themselves.
OTHER VACCINES
Leonardia said the Bacolod City government will coordinate with the LCP to hold exploratory talks with as many other pharmaceutical companies regarding the procurement of additional COVID vaccines.
Leonardia said LCP officials and the LCP Committee on Vaccine Availment will hold a virtual dialog with Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force, and officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on January 12 to discuss and synchronize the ongoing efforts of the national government and those of the cities for the vaccine procurement.
Based on their previous virtual meeting with Galvez last Dec. 29, the national government is requesting that city governments allocate their funds first so that the national government can then efficiently and equitably distribute vaccines that it shall procure with priority to be given to those LGUs with funding deficiencies, and to areas where herd immunity is targeted.
Leonardia said the LCP is collaborating with the Department of Health, Department of Budget and Management, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to arrive at a consensual decision on the procurement of the vaccines, which, as of now, can only be done at the level of the national government.
Leonardia further clarified that LGUs cannot independently procure the vaccines without clearance from the national government.
Galvez earlier said the national government has earmarked PHP1.3-billion to buy at least 150 million vaccines for the mass vaccination this year. (With a report from Bacolod City PIO)
