Duterte wants police, soldiers to be first recipients of Sinovac vaccines - Go

President Duterte allegedly ordered that the soldiers and police be vaccinated first when China’s Sinovac vaccine donation arrives in the country.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said that President Duterte instructed him that once Sinovac arrives, soldiers and police should be the priority.

According to Go, this is what the President wants because the soldiers are also among the considered frontliners.

Go added that based on vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX are being processed, but the government will comply with its requirements.

Galvez said Pfizer vaccines would still arrive earlier than Sinovac through the COVAX facility.

Apart from the soldiers and police, the senator also recommended to the President and Galvez to include in the priority to vaccinate athletes who will compete in the summer olympics in Japan and SEA games in Vietnam.

This is because it is necessary to train athletes who will bring honor to the country.

Malacañang announced on Thursday that over half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac would arrive in the Philippines on February 23.

According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said 600,000 doses will arrive on the said date, including the 100,000 doses the Chinese government donated to the Department of National Defense.

“Ang bakuna po ng Sinovac na galing China, nakaukit na po sa bato ang pagdating. Ito po ang ay sa 23 ng Pebrero, 23 February po darating ang Sinovac,” he said.

Duterte wants police, soldiers to be first recipients of Sinovac vaccines – Go

However, the Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue emergency use authorization (EUA) to Sinovac.

The government said the COVID-19 priority list is 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 old and above
A3: Persons with comorbidities not otherwise included in the preceding categories
A4: Frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel and those in working sectors identified by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases as essential during an enhanced community quarantine
A5: Indigent population not otherwise included in the preceding categories
B1: Teachers, social workers
B2: Other government workers
B3: Other essential workers
B4: Socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and indigenous people
B5: Overseas Filipino Workers
B6: Other remaining workforce
C: Rest of the Filipino population not otherwise included in the above groups