Navy chief willing to be vaccinated in public vs Covid-19

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 15,2021): Navy chief willing to be vaccinated in public vs Covid-19 (By Priam Nepomuceno) 

PNA file photo

Philippine Navy (PN) chief, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, on Monday said he is willing to be vaccinated in public to help appease the Filipinos' hesitancy on the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines.

"If ever, I am willing to make my inoculation public to allay fears of our countrymen with Covid vaccines. By making public my vaccination, I believe that I can help the national government build confidence and ease the general public's hesitancy with Covid vaccines," he said.

With the roll-out of the country's coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination program about to start, Bacordo said they had already identified 641 Navy personnel who are priority for the jabs.

He said these personnel consists of uniformed and non-uniformed medical front-liners.

"The PN has identified 641 medical front-liners (uniformed and non-uniformed) as our first priority for anti-Covid vaccination," he said in response to the Philippine News Agency's queries regarding whether the Navy already has a priority list for the Covid-19 vaccines.

Earlier, the PN said it can deploy its two landing docks equipped with reefers to help Covid-19 vaccines go to remote areas once these become available.

"Ang ating mga LD (landing dock vessels) po ay may mga reefers onboard na maari pong magamit na cold storage, upon orders by higher headquarters po (Our LD have reefers aboard that can be used for cold storage if these ships are ordered by higher headquarters to transport Covid-19 vaccines)," PN public affairs office chief Commander Benjo Negranza earlier said.

Negranza was referring to the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) and BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602), both of which have an overall length of 120 meters, breadth of 21 meters, a draft of five meters and can carry a payload of 2,800 tons.

The vessels have a cruising speed of 13 knots and a maximum speed of 16 knots and a minimum operating range of 7,500 nautical miles.

Both ships can carry 500 troops, two rigid-hull inflatable boats, two landing craft units, and three helicopters.

Both were acquired from Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL for around PHP4 billion and were delivered to the PN in 2016 and 2017 with the BRP Tarlac being named the lead ship.

Negranza said the following are initial information on the volume and sustained temperatures of these reefers aboard the two landing dock vessels:

*Meat and fish reefer: 60 cubic meters/ -20°C;

* Vegetable room: 50 cubic meters/ 3°C; and

*Lobby: 12 cubic meters/ 10°C.

If these reefers are not enough, Negranza said these ships can still be used to transport vaccine cold-storage units that would be used by the government.

"For our other ships with substantial cold-storage capacities that may be used, I cannot confirm as of yet," he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130678