Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 23) — The government may soon hold a simultaneous inoculation of health workers and other priority groups as more vaccines are expected to enter Philippine territory.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. bared in the Cabinet meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday that they are targeting the vaccination of groups in the “A” priority altogether to speed up rollout and to sustain the economy.
“Ang nakita po natin, dapat talaga ‘yung private sector at ‘yung national government ay sabay po tayong mag-inoculate,” he said.
[Translation: We observed that it would be better for the private sector and the national government to administer the vaccines at the same time.]
““We are targeting A1 to A3 and A4 at the same time. So the national government and the LGU (local government units) will target ‘yung A1 to A3 while the private sector can also do their inoculation with the supervision of the DOH (Department of Health) and the LGU targeting the A4,” Galvez added.
Under the priority list approved by the interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group and the DOH Technical Advisory Group last month, inoculation must be done in this order:
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 comorbidities 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
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However, local officials were already moved up in the priority list last week and were reclassified as “essential workers” who are fourth in line in receiving the vaccines.
In a Palace briefing later in the day, Galvez stressed that the simultaneous inoculation may start by May.
According to Galvez, the Philippines will receive 400,000 more Sinovac vaccines through China’s donation this Wednesday, while 1 million purchased doses from the firm will arrive on March 29.
Meanwhile, 979,700 vaccine doses from British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca may arrive between March 24 and 26. By next month, 5.5 million vaccine doses will be delivered while 8.9 million doses will arrive in May.
Galvez added that 369,049 Filipinos — mostly health care workers — already received their COVID-19 shots since the government started its vaccine drive on March 1. Over 1,105,000 vaccine doses were already distributed in various sites, which is 98% of the current 1.1 million vaccine supply.
Amid complaints from lawmakers and citizens about the slow inoculation drive, Galvez said the government is aiming to raise its weekly vaccinations from 30,000 to 300,000 or even up to 1 million per week, to achieve its goal of vaccinating 70 million Filipinos by yearend, Galvez said.
“Once na natapos natin frontliners natin with the simultaneous vaccination, we can open up the economy, most likely before the end of the year,” he added.
[Translation: Once we finish the simultaneous vaccination for our frontliners, we can open up the economy, most likely before the end of the year.]
