Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 21) — The expansion of the COVID-19 vaccines to groups of essential workers and indigent Filipinos could be initially rolled out to select subgroups due to supply issues, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Friday.
“Depende sa supply. Baka sakali sa bawat sektor na yan may prioritization pa rin na mangyari kung hindi pa sukat o sapat ang supplies na darating para sa dalawang sektor,” the spokesperson said.
[Translation: It will depend on the supplies. If ever, there may be prioritization within the two sectors if there aren’t enough supplies.]
The government plans to expand the vaccine rollout to the A4 and A5 groups after this month. It will initially cover COVID-19 hotspots Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.
The A4 cluster is split into 17 subgroups of government workers and economic frontliners, while there are no clear guidelines yet on what constitutes as indigent.
Vergeire admitted that identifying poor families who will be included in the A5 cluster is a “challenge,” but the DOH is coordinating with other government agencies to obtain accurate data.
The health official assured that there are enough vaccination sites in the country to take on the gargantuan task of inoculating 12 million people in the A4 group and 16 million in the A5 cluster nationwide. She also said there are currently over 3,000 vaccinators in the country, and there are funds on standby for re-hiring by June.
Authorities are aiming to achieve herd immunity in NCR+8 by November, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said.
