The Department of Health on Tuesday said that healthcare workers and senior citizens will be prioritized in the government’s rollout of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines in the country.
In a press briefing, Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that despite the inclusion of people with comorbidities in the recommended priority list of the Health Technology Assessment Council or HTAC, the sector will not be prioritized due to supply issues.
“As we always say, the provision of these vaccines will depend on science plus the quantity. According to science, and based on the recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council, these vaccines should be given to vulnerable populations. These would comprise A1, A2, and A3 — these would be our healthcare workers, senior citizens, and those with comorbidities,” Vergeire said.
“Now, we will receive the first batch — these are just 1,002,000 million doses coming from the COVAX. We will use it first as our top priority because the vaccines will not be enough for everyone in A1 to A3,” she added.