More than 148,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were destroyed after a fire hit the Provincial Health Office of Zamboanga del Sur over the weekend, the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 reported Tuesday.
The NTF said of the destroyed vaccines, 88,938 are Pfizer BioNTech; 36,164 are Sinovac; 14,400 are Moderna; and 9,176 are AstraZeneca vaccines.
Aside from the COVID-19 vaccines, doses for the provincial government’s other immunization programs were also damaged.
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The vaccines were stored in a three-storey building which serves as the cold chain storage facility for COVID-19 vaccines for 26 municipalities and one component city in the province.
“May this unfortunate incident be a reminder to all local government units to ensure the safety and security of these life-saving vaccines,” the NTF said.
“To avoid similar incidents happening in the future, the DILG and DOH are reiterating to all LGUs at the municipal, city, and provincial levels to ensure that safety officers are reporting 24/7 in all COVID-19 cold chain facilities and warehouses,” it added.
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The incident will be investigated and a show cause order will be issued to the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur for the delays on the delivery of the vaccines.
The NTF assured that the destroyed vaccine doses will be replaced. (NM)
