Vaccine program won’t wait for ‘undecided’ sector

Persons includes in the Manila A1 priority list must not miss the opportunity to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as the city will not wait for them to be ready.

“I call all those under A1.1 down to A1.7. I am giving you a few days to grab the opportunity to get vaccinated. We cannot just wait for you at the expense of the A2,” Manila Mayor Isko Moreno in his Facebook live talk.

Moreno said Thursday the city will next attend to A2 beneficiaries (senior citizens) even if there are still some on the A1 list who did not avail of the jabs, Medical front-liners who contracted Covid-19 and cannot be vaccinated yet, however, can still get their shots past their schedules.

SUPPORT. Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna comforts an elderly healthcare worker receiving the Covid-19 vaccine at the Ospital ng Maynila on March 9, 2021. Senior residents, or the A2 group, are next in line. (Photo courtesy of Manila-PIO)

He stressed that those waiting for their preferred brands will lose their slots. This means that if you do not like Sinovac or AstraZeneca, we might proceed to our senior citizens. They are the A2 senior citizens,” he added.

The approved priority groups for vaccination are as follows: A1. Frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, private and public, health professionals and non-professionals like students, nursing aides, janitors, barangay health workers, etc.; A2. Senior citizens aged 60 years and above; A3. Persons with comorbidities; A4. Frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel and those in working sectors identified by the IATF as essential during the Enhanced Community Quarantine; A5. Indigents; B1. Teachers, social workers; B2. Other government workers;
B3. Other essential workers; B4. Socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than seniors and   indigenous people; B5. Overseas Filipino workers; B6. Other workforce; and C. The rest of the Filipino population

Reliable sources said Manila still has AstraZeneca vaccines available, which are recommended for senior citizens.