By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Philippine Superliga (PSL) is almost ready for its upcoming 2021 volleyball season and is also proposing to buy COVID-19 vaccines from the United Kingdom to ensure the safety of all the participating teams amid the pandemic.
PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico shared that AstraZeneca, a vaccine formulated and developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, will most likely be available before the league starts depending on the circumstances.
As of now, Juico and his team are inquiring about AstraZeneca but will still consult with team owners and other officials.
“We’re going through the process of covering the vaccine with arrangements. Of course, we still have to get the response from where we order it dahil marami ding requirements ang hihingin nyan. So we’ll just wait but we have a plan. Yung nakausap namin dito is a non-government organization. It’s a non-government project which is accredited by the government and the DOH,” Juico confirmed with Spin.ph.
If majority of the team owners have a positive response regarding AstraZeneca, then PSL will likely purchase the vaccines for the players, PSL staff, team management, and even the media. Juico disclosed that the PSL will be spending an approximated amount of Php800,000 pesos for the safety of the league. However, if the procurement of the vaccine won’t be materialized, then a familiar bubble setup will be observed by the PSL for their season to push through.
“It will be up to the teams. Basta everybody will have to go through the process, like swab. They will play at their own risk basta we’ll be making it available for them. Without vaccine, we will come up with a modified bubble. We’re working with the government,” Juico added.
