Elderly health workers seen as priority for AstraZeneca vaccines — Galvez

FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

MANILA, Philippines — Some health experts are recommending that the arriving COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca be allocated to elderly healthcare workers, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Thursday.

“May mga doctor po na nagsasabi, priority natin yung mga senior healthcare workers. So yung deployment po nito, sa mga hospital pa rin po,” Galvez said in an interview over CNN Philippines when asked who will receive the AstraZeneca shots.

(Some doctors are saying that we have to prioritize senior healthcare workers. So its deployment will still be in hospitals.)

“Ang recommendation po nila, considering na may limitations tayo ng 18-59 po na age group ang ating Sinovac, we want to accept those limitations by having this AstraZeneca available to our senior citizens,” he added.

(Their recommendation was, considering that we have limitations of [the] 18-59 age group for Sinovac, we want to accept those limitations by having this AstraZeneca available to our senior citizens.).

Galvez noted that this will still be discussed in the interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group.

“‘Yun po ang tinitignan po namin na anggulo para at least well protected po yung vulnerable, senior healthcare workers,” Galvez said.

(This is the angle we’re looking at to protect our vulnerable, senior healthcare workers.)

When AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine secured an emergency use authorization in the Philippines, the Food and Drug Administration said it can be given to those who are 18 years old and older.

At least 487,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines are expected to arrive in the country Thursday night.

/MUF