Around 24.6 million Filipinos, including frontline health workers, will be given priority in the government's vaccination program to fight the new coronavirus disease, Malacañang announced Monday.

First on the government’s list of eligible groups will be the 1.76 million health workers from both public and private health facilities, according to presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

The list of "sectoral priorities" includes 3.78 million indigent senior citizens, 5.67 million remaining senior citizens, 12.91 million remaining indigent population, and 525,523 uniformed personnel.

The total eligible recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine will be 24,668,128 or an estimated 22.8 percent of the country's population, Roque said.

"Ang ating o-orderin ay mga 30 million good for – well, 30 million individuals or 60 million dosage (We will order vaccines for 30 million individuals or 60 million doses)," he said during a televised press briefing.

"Ang una sa listahan ang ating mga frontline health workers. Obviously kinakailangan na bigyan sila ng bakuna nang magawa nila ang kanilang katungkulan ng walang atubili. Sila ang nangunguna sa ating laban sa COVID-19. Natural lamang na sila ang mabigyan ng proteksyon laban sa virus (Our frontline health workers will be first on the list. Obviously, they should be given vaccines so they can continue their work without hesitation. They are our frontliners in the fight against COVID-19. It is natural they should be given protection against the virus)," he added.

Among the frontline health workers, Roque said, are those working in public and private hospitals and other medical facilities, public health workers and local government unit contact tracers, barangay health workers, and those assigned in national government agencies such as Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Bureau of Corrections.

Roque said the country's senior citizens would be prioritized next since they belong to the group vulnerable to the coronavirus. "Sila ang madaling kapitan ng virus dahil mayroon silang comorbidities. At kapag kinapitan, alam natin na sang-ayon sa datos, marami talaga ang namamatay sa ating mga seniors (They are vulnerable to the virus because they have comorbidities. If infected,  we know  based on data that many senior die)," he said.

He said the country's poor would also be vaccinated in line with the promise of President Duterte.

Citing information from vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., Roque said places with high coronavirus cases such as Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Davao will be the "geographical priorities" for the vaccination program. 

Under the Department of Health's plan, the government's vaccination drive aims to reduce the country's COVID fatality rate and substantially control transmission in the country.

The President had earlier promised to give free vaccines to the country's poor and vulnerable population once the drugs become available. The government has already identified P73.2 billion in funding sources to bankroll the vaccine acquisition program.

With plans to inoculate 60 percent of the country's population, Galvez had earlier said the government's immunization plan may take three to five years depending on the supplies. The government is in talks with some vaccine suppliers to secure the country's stock of the life-saving medicine.