MANILA - Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao alone as these areas have shown that they could handle the low temperature requirement to maintain the COVID-19 jabs' efficacy, a health official said Monday.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines needs to be stored at a temperature of -70 degrees Celsius.

"We give them sa mga may kapasidad na local government units," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press conference.

(We give them to local government units that already have the storage capacity.)

"Ito 'yung may mga subok na... na 'yung ultra low freezer nila at handling ay makakaya so hindi tayo magkakaroon ng wastage,"

(These are the ones that have shown that they have ultra low frezzers and that they are capable of handling these vaccines so we don't have wastage.)

The Philippines expects to receive some 193,000 COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer next week, and another 2 million doses by mid-2021.

• 193,000 Pfizer COVID-19 doses to arrive in the Philippines on Monday, first from brand
• Philippines to get 2.3 million Pfizer COVID-19 shots 'not later than June'

Since the Philippines began its COVID-19 inoculation in March, the country has been using AstraZeneca and Sinovac jabs, which can be stored in regular refrigerator temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.

• 30 COVID vaccine doses considered wasted in Misamis Oriental fire — DOH

Earlier this month, the Philippines received its initial shipment of Russia's Sputnik V vaccines, which must be stored at -18 degrees Celsius.

The country distributed the Russian-developed injections to 5 Metro Manila cities to see if these local governments are capable of storing and handling the temperature-sensitive vaccines.

• Sputnik V trial doses to go to 4 hospitals, 3 inoculation hubs in Metro Manila

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