The Department of Health (DoH) said that it will conduct a study whether or not foreigners living in the Philippines can be included in the list of beneficiaries for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines.
DoH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that they are open to such possibilities since it would also be beneficial for Filipinos.
“Sa isang rational point of view, since they are here and since they also interact with Filipino people baka dapat kasama,” said Vergeire in a press briefing on Wednesday.
“Ito naman po ay isang bagay sa tingin ko makakatulong sa atin kapag ginawa natin ito,” she added.
Meanwhile, Vergeire said that they are also looking into the appeal of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go to include Filipino athletes, who will be participating in the Tokyo Summer Olympics and the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi this year, in the COVID-19 vaccination priority list.
Vergeire said that this will be submitted for approval of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG).
“For now, we stick to our priorities. Of course, this will be considered because there is a request and it is something the government would like to pursue when it comes to sports,” she said.
“Tingnan natin. Pag-uusapan iyan. Definitely, hindi para baguhin ang priority listing natin. Walang sektor na mawawala just because may ganitong request,” she added. (Analou de Vera)
