Headline
Prioritization vital to ensure PH vaccine supply from COVAX: WHO
MANILA – The Philippines must adhere to the vaccine prioritization of medical front-liners, seniors, and those with comorbidities to ensure unhampered supply from the COVAX Facility, the World Health Organization (WHO) reminded Thursday.
Around 4.58 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses are expected to arrive in the Philippines within the year under COVAX Facility.
The country is also set to receive some 117,000 Pfizer-BioNTech jabs and an additional batch, the figures of which would be announced by end of March 2021.
“To access these vaccines, WHO and the COVAX Facility, and that includes its donor partners and members, have emphasized that COVAX vaccines should be used according to the prioritizations,” WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said in a virtual presser, adding Manila must also demonstrate that it can roll out the vaccines in an efficient manner while minimizing wastage.
The prioritized groups he mentioned include some 1.8 million Filipino healthcare workers who are among the most at risk in the still-raging pandemic.
This is followed by the most vulnerable population — the elderly and those suffering from comorbidities, where high case fatality rates were previously recorded.
“If we cannot demonstrate that we are following this prioritization, unfortunately, the COVAX may have to consider other options where the impact of the vaccine rollout will be more useful and practical and will contribute to saving more lives,” Abeyasinghe said.
“So we urge everybody concerned to kindly respect the prioritization that has been defined by the DOH (Department of Health) and the NITAG (National Immunization Technical Advisory Group) in consultation with the WHO,” he added.
The WHO will not police the list, leaving the role of ensuring adherence to the DOH, he said.
In the same briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire acknowledged the conditions set by the COVAX Facility to align with WHO’s objective to give the shots “to those who needed the most — the healthcare workers”.
She urged the public and all stakeholders to stay within the inoculation framework.
“Kung saka-sakaling makapag-violate tayo nitong objective na ‘to, na hindi natin nabigay doon sa mga tamang tao o health workers, maaaring ma-compromise or ma-jeopardize ‘yong mga succeeding supplies from coming from COVAX Facility,” she said.