THE Philippines will receive cold chain equipment donated by Japan through the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) on November 15. In a joint statement, Japan and Unicef said the country's immunization cold chain is vulnerable to shocks due to natural disasters and frequent public health emergencies. "The low coverage of immunization is attributed to various factors, including critical gaps in cold storage capacity at the national and subnational levels, particularly in the Bangsamoro Region," they said. The donation includes cold walk-in rooms, freezers, solar-powered refrigerators, power generators, temperature monitoring devices, spare parts and thermal jackets. Thirty-five provinces, including isolated and disaster-prone areas such as Batanes, Cagayan, Albay, Sulu and Tawi Tawi, will benefit from the cold storage facilities.

Source: Manila Times November 11, 2021 18:28 UTC