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IATF orders creation of special vaccine lanes for health workers, seniors

Philippines | National

IATF orders creation of special vaccine lanes for health workers, seniors

By Genalyn Kabiling

Special vaccination lanes must be established for the country's health workers, senior citizens and people with comorbidity based on the latest decision of the government's pandemic task force.

A Manila resident receives a first shot of the coronavirus vaccine from a health worker at the Manila Prince Hotel on May 18, 2021. (Ali Vicoy/Manila Bulletin)

Local government units must give vaccine priority to these concerned sectors, according to the latest resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

"Local government units (LGUs) shall continuously prioritize A1, A2, and A3 Priority Groups by establishing special lanes and/or vaccination centers for health frontliners, senior citizens, and other vulnerable sectors of the population," Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said over government television Friday, May 28, announcing the IATF Resolution No. 117.

"For Priority Group A4, LGUs may give preference for persons aged 40 to 59 years old over 18 to 39 years old," he added.

The latest directive was issued as the government prepares to start the vaccination of the country's essential workers, including transport workers, market vendors, and overseas Filipino workers, as well as the poor population.

The government has administered more than 4 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, including over a million people fully vaccinated, since the free inoculations started last March. Priority has been given to health workers, seniors, and people with preexisting health conditions.

The government aims to inoculate 9.7 million people in Metro Manila to attain "population protection" by late November. Earlier, it announced plans to vaccinate 58 million adult Filipinos to reach herd immunity before the end of the year.

Related Tags

Seniors vaccines covid-19 special lanes Health workers coronavirus IATF

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