Vaccination against COVID-19 for those in the A5 priority group or those belonging to low-income families began this Wednesday in the city of Manila.
This is a week after the COVID-19 vaccination of those in the A4 priority group or economic frontliners began.
There are 8 vaccination sites in the city that are exclusively for the A5 priority group because the vaccines to be used are donated from the vaccine-sharing platform COVAX Facility.
Under the COVAX condition, the vaccine from them should go to medical frontliners, the elderly, and the vulnerable sector such as poor residents.
Such vaccination sites are located where there are large informal settler communities such as in Baseco, Parola, Smokey Mountain, Happyland, Katuparan, Port Area, and Sta. Ana.
1,000 doses are provided at each vaccination site, in addition to one with 700 doses.
According to the authorities, about 8,000 indigent or poor residents there will be given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at such vaccination sites.
There is a long line of people who want to be vaccinated at Sen Benigno Aquino Elementary School in Baseco.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso visited the school and said there are about 400,000 under the A5 priority group or the poor who can be vaccinated in the city.
Vaccination of A5 priority group begins in Manila
The mayor added that he is happy that many want to be vaccinated. He also said that the long queue is good news.
He said it is possible that the city will set up an appointment system if the vaccines arrive.
Today, the vaccination system is still on a first-come, first-served basis.
The city government has also purchased 400,000 doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine that will arrive on June 24.
On Tuesday, the COVID-19 vaccination of students in the A5 priority group in Mandaluyong City and San Juan City also took off.
The government also targets to speed up the vaccination against COVID-19 in the country and inject 250,000 doses per day this month.
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