National Task Force Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon said Tuesday that the government is extending the vaccination priority group to economic and national government frontliners or cluster A4.
The A4 cluster includes essential workers, frontliners in national government offices, and uniformed personnel.
“Inaprubahan na ng ating Pangulo ang expansion natin sa economic frontliners at national government frontliners, ang tinatawag nating A4 category, sa mga susunod na linggo. Kasama dito ang mga sundalo at pulis. Maguumpisa na tayo dito,” said Dizon.
The move to start the vaccination of the A4 and even the A5 clusters in the last week of May was proposed by vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.
Galvez suggested opening the COVID-19 inoculation to the A4 cluster and the A5 group of poor families to ensure that no vaccines go to waste.
He was referring to the approaching expiration of some 2 million doses of AstraZenaca vaccines — 1.5 million expiring on June 30 and 500,000 in July. Galvez noted the COVAX global initiative, which supplied the donated vaccines, allows the use of its doses for indigent families.
“Considering na gusto natin mapabilis talaga, kailangang lalakihan ang imbudo. So ang gagawin natin lalakihan ang net para ang ating target population lumaki,” he said on Monday.
According to President Rodrigo Duterte, Galvez’s recommendation is in accordance with his earlier order to inoculate uniformed personnel and poor families as soon as possible.
He added that Galvez’s suggestion to vaccinate the A4 and A5 clusters to prevent wastage is also similar to his previous order to rush the distribution of doses.
“If you dilly-dally, you run the risk of wasting. Kaya as many as we can, kung maaari day and night, para we will not have stock of spoiled medication,” Duterte said.
There are 12 million people in the A4 group, while 16 million people are listed as poor. Galvez said the target vaccination for these two groups is over 12 million. If the inoculation of these two groups pushes through by the last week of May, they will be vaccinated alongside healthcare workers, seniors, and people with comorbidities.
