PNA file photo by Rico H. Borja
MANILA – Prioritization of target population is no longer observed in the nationwide rollout of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, a health official said Friday.
This, after Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios “Imee” Marcos called on the Department of Health (DOH) to abolish its prioritization list to avoid wastage of Covid-19 jabs.
“We do not have any prioritization list anymore,” said DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a media forum.
Vergeire said the government implemented a prioritization list earlier in the Covid-19 inoculation drive due to the scarcity of jabs from March 1 up to the third quarter of 2021.
“Pero ngayon po that we have enough supplies, supplies are sufficient until the end of this year, wala na po tayo ginagawang prioritization (But now that we have enough supplies, supplies are sufficient until the end of this year, we don’t practice prioritization anymore),” she said.
All eligible population can be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Currently, local government units no longer implement vaccination schedules.
“Kapag po kayo ay pumunta, kahit walk in, babakunahan kayo (When you go (to vaccination sites), even walk in, you will be vaccinated), as long as you are eligible. When we say eligible, you meet the criteria,” she added.
Vergeire said the DOH continues to encourage the unvaccinated members of the target population to receive their primary series of Covid-19 jabs and the fully vaccinated to their first booster shot.
As for the second booster, she said the eligible population consists of adults 50 years old and above, and individuals 18 to 49 years old with comorbidities only.
As of August 5, over 71.8 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Of the tally, more than 9.7 million are adolescents, 4.2 million are children, and 6.8 million are senior citizens.
Around 16.4 million individuals have received their first booster dose while 1.4 million got their second booster shot. (PNA)
