TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) - - The congressional representative of the 3rd district of this province has urged big business owners who have cold chain facilities to lend it to the Department of Health for the temperature highly sensitive vaccines against Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). 

In a press conference, Representative Joseph L. Lara said the facilities of the DOH and the local government units could not meet the required temperature of some vaccines that require negative degrees celsius to include the Gamaleya's Sputnik V, Moderna and Pfizer. 

His family, earlier, offered the cold chain facility of their hotel for free, which is now being managed by his son, to accommodate temperature of highly sensitive vaccines, specifically Moderna and Sputnik V brands, following the statement of the region's health department that only CoronaVac and AstraZeneca could be accommodated in its facility. 

"I believe that there are many big business personalities in our province who also have facilities like this. I already suggested to the DOH to write and request for the use of their cold chain facilities," Lara said. 

The Sputnik V vaccine requires -18 degrees Celsius, Moderna requires -20 degrees Celsius, Pfizer requires the coldest temperature of -70 degrees Celsius while SinoVac and AstraZeneca require lower temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. 

Lara said their cold chain facility could only accommodate Sputnik V and Moderna but they are contemplating to procure a cold chain that could accommodate the requirement for Pfizer vaccine. 

He said that there is a need to help the DOH to provide the needed facilities so that the region can get its share from the high sensitive vaccines for the many Cagayanos who have been waiting for their turn to be inoculated. 

On the other hand, Lara cleared that his family just offered the cold chain facility for the vaccines as well as their hotel as a vaccination site but they do not have any hand in the process of inoculation neither in the selection of those who were vaccinated. 

"The processes were conducted by the officials of DOH. We only offered the facility considering the sensitivity of the vaccines," Lara said. 

The solon is hopeful that the vaccination will be fast-tracked to attain the herd immunity so that the province will move into new normal situation. (MDCT/OTB/PIA Cagayan)