To prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) asked the national government to include the family and household members of healthcare and economic frontliners in its vaccination priority list.
PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon proposed this to the Department of Health (DOH) in a letter addressed to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
Gordon recommended that the government prioritize the front liners - their families, and other companions - as a group to prevent the whole household from being exposed to and infected with COVID-19.
To date, the government identified frontline workers in health facilities as its A1 priority group.
Senior citizens and persons with co-morbidities are to be vaccinated next, followed by front liners in essential sectors such as commuter transport, markets and groceries, food manufacturing and retail, news media, and specific government agencies.
However, Gordon pointed out that “healthcare and economic workers face the danger of being exposed to the virus every day, and are even more burdened with worry that they might bring the virus to their homes.”
Given this, Gordon underscored the need to prioritize their household members to allay the fears of healthcare and economic workers.
Having their families and other household members inoculated, he added, will also “boost their morale, knowing that they can return to their families safely after working in the frontlines.”