A health worker inoculates a resident with a dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine inside a Catholic church turned into a vaccination centre in Manila on May 21, 2021. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — A private sector coalition organized to consolidate the business community’s COVID-19 response efforts fully supports the government’s decision to expand the vaccination rollout to the A4 priority sector starting June 7.
Guillermo Luz, Task Force T3 proponent and chief resilience officer of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, said the inclusion of A4, majority of whom represent the economic front-liners, would help the private sector greatly in the reopening of their businesses.
“The private sector believes in vaccinating as many people at the soonest possible time so that we may safely reopen the economy. Thus, we support the expansion of the administration of vaccines to the A4 priority sector this June and thank the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) and the national government for this decision,” Luz said.
Special lanes
He added that they acknowledge that the 40- to 59-year-old age group among A4 may be given preference in the implementation, as well as continued priority may be given to A1 to A3.
Secretary Vivencio Dizon, deputy implementer of the National Task Force for COVID-19 (NTF), had clarified during a Task Force T3 monthly update meeting that even with the opening of vaccination to the A4 sector, A1 to A3 will still be prioritized through dedicated special lanes in all vaccination facilities.
Under IATF Resolution No. 117, those eligible for vaccination include private sector workers required to be physically present at their workplace outside their residences; employees in government agencies and instrumentalities; and informal sector workers and self-employed who may be required to work outside their residences, and those working in private households.
10M doses assured
Task Force T3 also lauds NTF chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. for continuously working to ensure a steady supply of vaccines for the country, which made the opening for the A4 sector possible.
“We are pleased with the increased and assured supply of around 10 million doses in June and we hope that this continues in the coming months,” said Luz.
The rollout to include A4 will make use of vaccines procured by the government and the private sector, through tripartite agreements. Supply coming from the COVAX facility will continue to be used exclusively for the A1 to A3 and the A5 priority sectors, as explained by Dizon.
LGUs, hospital partners
It is partnering with local government units (LGUs) to augment jab rates in National Capital Region (NCR) Plus 8 through the cooperation of the five biggest private hospital groups in the country, namely: Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc., Metro Pacific Hospitals Holdings Inc., Mount Grace Hospitals Inc., St. Luke’s Medical Center and The Medical City.
Moreover, Task Force T3 has also helped promote vaccine confidence through the Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat campaign, while providing incentives via Smart Bakuna Benefits.
Luz said Task Force T3 would continue to work and collaborate with the government until the country was able to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We support the plan to achieve population protection by focusing on the vaccination of NCR Plus 8,” he added.