Global shipping costs continue to rise with charter rates expanding by 65 percent this second quarter, dimming the situation for food importers, such as meat processors. Royal Cargo Inc. Chief Operating Officer Jet B. Ambalada told the BusinessMirror that charter rates and freight costs continue to rise with no immediate improvements in sight until a .
DOH assures quality cold storage for vaccines after ammonia leak in ice plant
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The Department of Health said it is looking into the ammonia leak that occurred inside an ice plant in Navotas.
Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire called the incident at the T.P. Marcelo & Co. ice plant unique, and assured the public the agency has standards in place to ensure this would not happen in areas chosen as COVID-19 vaccine warehouses. Yung nangyari dito sa Navotas noong isang araw, ito po ay atin na ring iniimbestigahan para nakakapag-implement tayo ng mga standards at maiwasan po natin ang pangyayari na ganito sa susunod pa, Vergeire said in a Friday press briefing.
PARAÑAQUE CITY, Feb. 6 The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 officials inspected the cold storage facilities of Royal Cargo, Inc on Friday as part of the government’s ongoing preparations for the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines.
According to Royal Cargo Inc. Chairman and group CEO Michael Kurt Raeuber, the company’s cold chain facilities can store up 2 million vaccine doses by February, and another 8 million doses from March to April of this year.
“Right now, we have enough for operations in March and April, and from then on we have enough for the entire Philippines in reality. We have far too many great facilities to handle the vaccines,” Raeuber told the COVID-19 Task Force officials.
Over 30,000 personnel will be needed in the government’s rollout of mass vaccinations against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
If the initial rollout of the vaccination program will have to vaccinate over 24 million Filipinos, “we will need about 35,240 vaccinators and an additional 176,200 personnel,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said at a senate inquiry on Friday.
“We have 4,504 vaccination sites with three vaccination teams per site and 100 people can be vaccinated per team,” he said.
In terms of how long the program would be, he said it would depend on the vaccines available. If the vaccines are from Pfizer Inc., it will take 25 days if the vaccination program is done simultaneously. For non-Pfizer vaccines, it will take 45 days.
Royal Cargo President Elmer Sarmiento told Business Bulletin they are investing at least P50 million for the construction of four new buildings at its Paranaque headquarters.
Construction of the new facility is ongoing and is expected to be completed in February this year, just in time for the first quarter expected arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine into the country.
“We are investing in a facility with low temperature unit for Pfizer vaccines but we have been in the business of pharma logistics long before so we are taking this opportunity of investing around P50 million. We are just adding four more because it is also expensive,” he said.