LGUs may start inoculation of indigent sector if there’s enough vaccine supply

People under A4 category or economic essential workers receive their 1st dose of Sinovac’s CoronaVac jab at the newly-opened vaccination site of the local government at Glorietta 5 mall in Makati City on June 10, 2021. RICHARD A. REYES / INQUIRER PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Local government units (LGUs) may administer COVID-19 vaccines from the Covax facility to the indigent population who are under the A5 category as long as there is enough supply, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a pronouncement saying those in the A5 sector can get vaccines from COVAX, aside from those in the A1 to A3, or the medical workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidity.

“Ito naman ay allowed na but it will depend on the supply (It is allowed but it depends on the supply of vaccines),” Vergeire said in an online press briefing.

“So, if local governments, nakikita nila na kaya na base sa kanilang allocations then they can do it naman dahil guidelines are there, pronouncements are there, wala tayong iba-violate, ‘yun lang po kailangan, nakikita nila ‘yung supply,” she added.

(So if local governments see that their allocations will allow it, they can do it since guidelines and pronouncements are there. We are not violating anything. They just need to consider the supply.)

However, Vergeire said that vaccinating the A5 sector would be based on a strategy of the country’s Vaccine Cluster since there is no sufficient vaccine supply yet.

The country’s vaccination program, scuttled by the lack of supply amid the high global demand for COVID-19 vaccines, has so far received a total of 9.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Of this number, 6.8 million doses have been administered, including the five million doses that were provided as the first dose.

The government is targeting to vaccinate 70 percent of the country’s population—of around 70 million individuals—to reach herd immunity. Vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. said the country may reach this benchmark by November in order to celebrate a “better Christmas.” — Sofia Vertucio, Inquirer trainee

EDV