This policy brief aims to assess the local Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine supply chain management (SCM) capacity of three selected provinces. It specifically determines local operations and practices related to vaccine forecasting, quantification, storage, and monitoring. It likewise proposes how the provincial governments and the Department of Health (DOH) can set up a ‘shovel-ready’ provincial SCM to manage COVID-19 vaccines once they become available. For local government units (LGUs) to effectively manage the COVID-19 immunization program, this paper proposes key recommendations to address the policy and programmatic gaps in managing vaccine supply in the local health facilities. Firstly, the DOH must communicate national guidelines on vaccine selection, prioritization, allocation, and distribution. The local governments, on the other hand, must prepare data for planning (identification of target critical population, storage and distribution capacity, potential funding source, point-of-dispensing settings, and vaccination sites). The local chief executives must set up a shovel-ready local vaccine SCM to effectively manage COVID-19 vaccines. Finally, the DOH and local governments should develop a coherent crisis and risk communication plan as part of the overall national strategy. The proposed overall strategies were based on the rapid assessment and focus group discussion (FGD) with the provincial health teams of three participating provinces from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
