Mandaue firms eye vaccine shots for 50K workers
Steven Yu, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, says the group has been helping facilitate the procurement of vaccines for the private sector in Mandaue City. | Mary Rose Sagarino screen grab of Zoom Meeting with Yu
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — About 50,000 employees in Mandaue City will soon be vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Steven Yu, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president, said they were expecting at least 100,000 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in the city in the third or fourth quarter of the year or on the second half of the year.
Yu said since private companies were not allowed to procure COVID-19 vaccines before, they have tied up with the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) foundation.
FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken in 2020. REUTERS
The MCCI has been facilitating Moderna vaccine from the foundation to various businessmen and members of MCCI who wanted to help and provide vaccines for their employees.
He said the ICTSI foundation is procuring 20 million doses of Moderna vaccines, 13 million of which will be donated to the national government while the 7 million for the private sectors with the MCCI being allocated with at least 100,000 as a facilitator.
He said this would help and supplement the vaccines of the government.
Read: More frontliners in City vaccinated
It will be given for free and employees will not be required to be vaccinated only those who are willing to receive the vaccine.
Yu said anybody, who would attempt to sell the vaccine, would be blacklisted from the ICTSI foundation.
He said that once the vaccine would arrive in the city they would coordinate with the government, although most of the businesses would be willing to shoulder the expenses for their vaccination. Businesses plan to tap private sector for the inocluation of their employees as the government also has its vaccination program.
Read: Firms can now buy own vaccines – Palace
Meanwhile, Yu said they were still studying the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
Earlier, the IRR of Republic Act 11525 or the Covid-19 Vaccination Law had been amended to allow private companies to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for their employees.
He said they were still evaluating it because they wanted a clear direction from the government and the role of the private sectors on the tripartite agreement.
/dbs
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