LIST: Priority population groups for COVID-19 vaccination

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s pandemic task force has identified the groups given priority for COVID-19 vaccination in a new list released Friday. 

The list was crafted by the Interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (iNITAG) and was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease. 

Frontline workers in health facilities remain on top of the list.

“They have highest exposure by their nature of work and should be protected to preserve the health system capacity,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing Friday.

Next in line are senior citizens because they comprise the age groups with the highest fatality rate. Persons with comorbidities are now third in the list of priority groups in the government’s vaccination program.

Here is the updated list:

• 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 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

Based on the initial list, the top priority groups were health workers, indigent senior citizen, remaining citizens, indigent population and uniformed personnel.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the selection of areas for sub-prioritization will be based on the following factors:

• Current active cases, attack rate per 100,000 population in the past four weeks and population density
• Vaccination site and/or readiness of local government unit, particularly, its supply chain capacity

The Department of Health discusses the vaccine prioritization framework in the context of scarcity. This was recommended by the Interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (iNITAG). @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/W9PrVEi0FV

— Gaea Cabico (@gaeacabico) February 5, 2021

Pfizer allocation

Roque, who also serves as the IATF spokesperson, said the first tranche of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be allocated to healthcare workers. The Philippines is expected to receive 117,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot this month through the COVAX facility, an initiative of the World Health Organization.

The first batch will be administered to frontliners in the following facilities:

• COVID-19 dedicated hospitals
• COVID-19 referral hospitals
• DOH-owned hospitals
• LGU hospitals
• Hospitals for uniformed services/personnel
• Private hospitals

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said that medical frontliners and staff of four COVID1-19 referral hospitals in Metro Manila will get the first COVID-19 shots.

The Philippines is aiming to secure a total of 146 to 148 million vaccine doses to inoculate 70 million this year alone. The government expects to execute definitive supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies.