Photo from Manila PIO
The government has yet to determine who can receive Covid-19 vaccines after health workers, senior citizens and people with co-morbidities, Malacañang said on Monday.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque said groups A1 (frontline workers in health facilities), A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with co-morbidities) were assured of priority in the government’s inoculation program.
Under the priority list Roque earlier reported, frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel and those in working sectors identified by the country’s pandemic task force as essential during enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) were under the A4 category.
Roque said there had been several recommendations as to what sectors would be considered essential.
“Ako po, naninindigan ako na dapat makasama iyong mga kasama nating mga mamamahayag sa A4 pero wala pa pong pinal na desisyon diyan sa A4 kasi wala pa po tayo sa A4–nasa A1, A2 at A3 lang po tayo,” he said in a Palace briefing.
“Pero ang basic category ng A4, iyong mga sundalo at kapulisan, iyong mga nagtatrabaho sa mga ECQ industries, iyong bukas sa mga ECQ,” he added.
Among other groups the government was considering are those working in the transportation sector, market vendors, food retailers, government frontliners, security guards and delivery service providers, said Roque.
“Pero wala pa pong pinal na desisyon. Hayaan ninyo po, as soon as maisapinal iyan ay inaanunsiyo naman po natin at kapag magsisimula na iyong A4,” he added.
Below is the priority list Roque earlier presented:
- A1: Frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, private and public, health professionals and non-professionals like students, nursing aides, janitors, barangay health workers, etc.
- A2: Senior citizens aged 60 years old and above
- A3: Persons with co-morbidities not otherwise included in the preceding categories
- A4: Frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel and those in working sectors identified by the IATF as essential during ECQ
- A5: Indigent population not otherwise included in the preceding categories
- B1: Teachers, Social Workers
- B2: Other Government Workers
- B3: Other essential workers
- B4: Socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and indigenous people
- B5: Overseas Filipino Workers
- B6: Other Remaining Workforce
- C: Rest of the Filipino population not otherwise included in the above groups
Using Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, the country has inoculated more than 737,000 individuals as of March 30.
The Philippines has tallied 803,398 Covid-19 cases as of April 5. John Ezekiel J. Hirro