Some politicians have been placed on the higher priority listing for the coronavirus disease vaccine (COVID-19) than senior citizens, according to a new decision by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Due to IATF Resolution 115-B, governors and mayors will be placed on the A1.5 priority list. They are followed by healthcare workers but will be more valued than senior citizens who are more likely to die of COVID-19.
“Napagkasunduan ng IATF na ang mga gobernador at ang mga mayor ay mapapabilang na rin po sa priority A1.5… Sa mga mayors at governors, magpabakuna na rin po tayo,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday.
“Kasi po ang mga mayor at gobernador ang nagpapatupad po ng prevention, detection, isolation, treatment, and rehabilitation na cornerstone of cour COVID program.”
He said that the said local government officials are the ones who directly implement localized lockdowns, vaccinations, and anti-pandemic activities.
The new rule was released months after the “VIP vaccination” controversy among some politicians, even though they were not on the priority list.
Some politicians put to higher vaccination priority list
“They may not be doctors, but they are equally frontliners dahil ang lahat po ng mga estratehiya natin, ang humaharap po ang mga lokal na opisyales: si mayor at si governor,” said Roque.
According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, it is possible to see an increase in vaccine confidence if the public would see government officials vaccinated against COVID-19.
“That can be part of our assumptions, that vaccine confidence is increasing. Pero kailangan pa rin po nating maintindihan para sa ating mga kababayan na kapag hindi pa po kayo parte noong ating priority sectors na binabakunahan ngayon, aantayin lang po natin,” said Vergeire.
“Magkakaroon din po tayo, at malapit na po iyan, itong simultaneous vaccinations to expand to A4 to A5. Kailangan lang po tayo mag-antay, unahin muna natin ‘yung mga vulnerables natin bago po tayo pumunta doon sa ating facilities.”
Those given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine reached 2,959,829 according to data from the National Task Force against the pandemic as of May 15, 2021.
But only 714,432 people completed two doses of the vaccine.
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