TACLOBAN CITY – Members of the Eastern Samar provincial board have approved a resolution authorizing the provincial government to sign a non-disclosure agreement with coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca.
The provincial board approved the resolution on Jan. 15 as a requirement before negotiating for vaccine procurement, Vice Governor Maricar Sison-Goteesan said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Several local government units in the country have already signed a deal for advance purchase of vaccine from AstraZeneca. Among them is the Ormoc City government that is targeting to buy 270,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
“The provincial government is now in the process of data gathering as to how many vaccines will be needed since we have residents who will be included on the priority list of the national government,” Goteesan said.
Governor Ben Evardone is preparing around PHP500 million for the purchase of vaccines and other related items that are needed to protect its residents from Covid-19.
Eastern Samar, a province that occupies the eastern portion of Samar Island, has a population of 467,160 in 22 towns and one city.
AstraZeneca is a British-Swedish pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Cambridge, England, that had developed a vaccine for Covid-19.
Unlike other developed vaccines, AstraZeneca’s can be stored and transported at a normal refrigerated temperature ranging from 2° to 8° Celsius (36 degrees to 46 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least six months. (PNA)
