The Taguig City government has announced that it will start administering vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for A4 priority group, or essential workers, on Wednesday (June 9).

According to the Department of Health’s Memorandum 2021-0259 dated May 31, eligible to be classified as A4 are "individuals who are physically reporting to the workplace; or individuals who are currently deployed or assigned to perform field work."

The memo stated that the distribution and administration of vaccines for A4 priority group will be divided in two phases: Phase 1 will cover A4 in areas within the NCR+8 area consisting of the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.

A4 workers in the NCR+8 areas are the private sector workers who work outside their homes, employees in government agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs) and local government units, informal sector workers, self-employed who work outside their homes, and those working in private households.

As of June 5, the Taguig City government has vaccinated 102,976 residents with the first dose, representing 15.14 percent of the eligible population of 680,000. In addition, 31,007 individuals received their second dose and are now fully vaccinated.

By vaccination site in Taguig, the total doses administered are: Lakeshore - 19,017, VistaMall - 35, 922, SM Aura - 19,714, BGC High Street - 11,464, Venice - 4,939, R.P. Cruz - 12,401, EMS - 13,269, Western Bicutan - 8,597, Maharlika - 589, Sea Breeze - 3,188, Vaccination Bus - 547, Medical Center Taguig - 179 and St. Luke's Medical Center-BGC - 4,157.

The Taguig City Vaccination Task Force has advised Taguig residents who work outside the city to register with the Taguig TRACE website at trace.taguig.gov.ph or barangay to get their vaccination schedule.

Taguig residents who work in the city can also register through TRACE or barangay, or register for group scheduling also through the app or by coordinating with their Taguig-based company, which will schedule the inoculation.

For non-Taguig residents who work in the city, they can register at TRACE for group schedule. If they are informal sector workers, they can coordinate with the Barangay Affairs Office or barangay hall near their place of work. For private sector workers, they can coordinate with their Taguig-based company, which will schedule the vaccination.

The DOH memo added that vaccination sites are tasked to develop a quick substitution list (QSL) for simultaneous vaccination and walk-in vaccine recipients as part of QSL are now allowed.

It added that vaccines from the COVAX facility shall be used only for A1 (health workers), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), and A5 (poor population “to ensure equitable access to vaccines especially among the most vulnerable and poorest populations.”

Vaccines purchased by the national government, local government units, and private sector companies and organizations through tripartite agreements will be used for the A4 priority group.