Palace details priority groups for COVID-19 vaccine, says Robredo can also be ‘guinea pig’
Malacañang has given a detailed list of sectors that will first receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
During a televised briefing on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said frontline health workers will be among the first 25 million Filipinos to get the vaccine once it becomes available.
Roque said it will be up to government officials if they want to be among the firsts to receive the vaccine.
“Ang importante po is to develop the confidence na dumaan po sa tamang proseso itong mga bakuna at ito po ay napag-aralan na unang-una ligtas, at pangalawa po epektibo laban sa COVID19,” Roque said.
Roque said the government plans to prioritize 1.76 million health workers first for vaccination.
Frontline health workers include public and private health facilities, public health workers, and barangay health workers.
Indigent senior citizens are placed as second priority, while the remaining senior citizen population is placed as third priority.
Uniformed personnel—including members of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines—is part of the priority groups.
Meanwhile, Roque aso said Vice President Leni Robredo “can be a guinea pig.” for the COVID-19 vaccine.
This is after Robredo said in her radio program on Sunday that she’s ready to get the vaccine to dispel fears on its safety among Filipinos.
"To me, if the purpose of getting the vaccine first is to increase the people’s confidence in it, that is OK,” the Vice President said in Filipino.
Roque added President Rodrigo Duterte is ready to get the vaccine even if it is still under emergency use authorization. Duterte said in August he is willing to serve as a guinea pig to prove his confidence in the vaccine then being developed by Russia.
“Nauna na si Presidente na magsabi na willing siya. Let’s hope she can be a guinea pig,” Roque said of Robredo’s statement.
(Banner and thumbnail photo from Philstar.com/Handout / Russian Direct Investment Fund / AFP)
