Galvez: Vaccination for general public may begin late April, early May

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. announced Wednesday that the vaccination for the general public may start between late April or early May.

In an interview with ANC, Galvez said poor families, senior citizens, and vulnerable groups may also receive the vaccine around the same period.

“Ang projection po namin ang general public, pati na ‘yung mga seniors, poor families, at saka vulnerable communities, we will start ‘yung general public inoculation late April, early May,” he said.

Galvez said that the ongoing inoculation of health workers is expected to be finished by the end of the month.

However, if the vaccine supplies would not arrive on time, Galvez said the vaccination of the priority list would be completed by April.

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

Galvez: Vaccination for general public may begin late April, early May

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

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said herd immunity is difficult to achieve if many Filipinos refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“As long as there are people refusing to be vacicnated, lumalayo nang lumalayo ang ating target at lumalayo nang lumalayo ‘yong tsansa na maka-achieve ng herd immunity na sinasabi natin,” said Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire.

The government is targeting 70 million Filipinos to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity this year, which is a way to stop the spread of COVID-19.

According to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, vaccination is a moral obligation.