Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (File photo)
MANILA – National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., on Wednesday announced the government will inoculate individuals belonging to the A4 priority group beginning June 7.
In a television interview, Galvez said the government will hold a symbolic vaccination rollout for economic front-liners who work outside their homes and government workforce or the public sector workers.
“We will have a mini rollout or symbolic rollout this coming June 7,” Galvez said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel.
Galvez, also the country’s vaccine czar, cited the need to protect the economic front-liners and government employees who are providing services to the public amid the prevailing health crisis.
“Ito talaga inaantay na ng maraming LGUs (This is what many local government units have been waiting for), considering we have to protect our economic and government workers. Ito ay mahigit kumulang 12 million na population (They are more or less 12 million in population),” he said.
Galvez noted that the vaccination of those belonging to the A4 priority groups will be massively launched once the bulk of the Covid-19 vaccine arrives this June and the coming months.
At the Palace briefing on Tuesday, Galvez said some 1 million doses of Sinovac's coronaVac jabs will be delivered on June 6 and June 11.
About 2.2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive between June 10 and June 11.
The officials of NTF and the national vaccine cluster are now preparing the vaccine stockpiles intended for the inoculation of category A4 and A5 (indigent population), he said.
The vaccination of A4 and A5 priority groups will first be focused on the Covid-19 high-risk areas including National Capital Region, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal as well as Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.
Galvez said the vaccines from the COVAX facility will be given to the targeted population including healthcare workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities, following the directive issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The A4 priority groups, meanwhile, will get the government-procured vaccines.
28M under A4 category
The government aims to vaccinate about 30 million Filipinos under the A4 category from June to November, according to the NTF.
During the virtual Laging Handa briefing, NTF Special Adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa said the Department of Health also implemented segmentation by age to avoid priority group members jumping the line.
“And the reason, the scientific reason kaya inuuna mo iyong mga may edad, 40 to 59, eh sila rin iyong may comorbidity or may chance na mas maging serious kapag na-infect sila ng covid (why those ages 40 to 59 are prioritized, they are the ones with comorbidity or chance to have serious condition when infected with covid),” Herbosa said.
He added the younger A4 category members are considered "recoveries" and could wait to be vaccinated and observe wearing of face masks, face shields and physical distancing for protection against Covid-19.
Herbosa was reacting to a suggestion that vaccination of A4 category members must not be done by age since all members who go out to work are at risk of getting the infection.
“Kung steady iyong supply at infinite at marami talaga tayong supply, puwede iyon. Basta kung gusto mo nang magpabakuna, punta ka na sa (If the vaccine supply is steady and infinite, that can be done. If you want to be vaccinated, just go to the) vaccination center,” he said.
As of May 30, the NTF reported that a total of 5,180,721 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered – 3,974,350 as first dose and 1,206,371 as second dose.
The average daily administered doses in the last seven days reached 144,402. (PNA)
