LIST: Priority groups for PHL COVID-19 vaccination program

(Eagle News) — The Palace on Friday, Feb. 5, released its list of groups to be prioritized in the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

According to the list, the following are the priorities in the program that is slated to start this year:

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 Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases as essential during an enhanced community quarantine

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

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the list was approved by the Interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, noting that group also noted that the specific inclusion or exclusion criteria of each vaccine brand must still be considered.

He said areas for sub-prioritization will be determined by the current active cases, attack rate per 100,000 population in the past four weeks, and population density in the area; and the vaccination site and/or local government unit readiness.

In particular, he said the area should have  supply chain capability.

As for the first tranche of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for healthcare workers, he said this will be allocated as follows:

a) all the COVID-19 dedicated hospitals,
b) COVID-19 referral hospitals,
c) DOH-owned hospitals,
d) LGU hospitals,
e) hospitals for uniformed services/personnel, and
f) private hospitals.

So far, the Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNtech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.