BAGUIO City is now mulling over various options for the disposition of vaccines after seeing an oversupply of the COVID-19 jabs acquired by the local government.
Baguio, currently sitting on a 91 percent first-dose coverage in terms of vaccinating its eligible population, and 43 percent in its eligible pediatric population, still has more than 127,000 vaccines of the various COVID-19 jab brands.
The current total does not yet account for the city’s purchase of 380,000 AstraZeneca vaccines, which would put the city’s total to more than 500,000, far exceeding the remaining population of the city that is yet to be jabbed.
City Budget Officer Leticia O. Clemente said that the local finance committee has contacted the vaccine supplier proposing either a pre-termination of the contract or a delay in provision of the remaining vaccines until the city can come to a course of action.
Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong is opting for the latter course of action, proposing that the excess vaccines instead be provided to other local governments in need of doses, which their local governments can then reimburse to the city of Baguio.
The City Legal Office has meanwhile been tasked to see if the proposed courses of action are legally valid under the purchasing contract with the vaccine supplier to avoid legal snags.
Magalong has already contacted Cordillera local governments in advance to negotiate the excess vaccine supply, while other local governments like Mariveles, Bataan and San Marcelino, Zambales have also expressed interest in tapping Baguio’s supply.
