BY AARON RECUENCO
Metro Manila and Central Visayas are among the four regions which will be prioritized in the government’s vaccination program for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.
Aside from the National Capital Region and Region 7, Region 4A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Region 3 or Central Luzon will also be in the priority list, according to PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas.
Sinas said the four regions were listed as the “1st priority” in the vaccination plan based on the infection positivity rate as revealed in the data of the Department of Health (DoH) since March 15 last year.
Next in the priority areas are highly-urbanized cities with high COVID-19 cases which include Baguio City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Bacolod City, and Davao City. Also included are provinces with high COVID-19 cases like Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
The 3rd priority are cities and municipalities with moderate cases of COVID-19 while the fourth and last priority are classified as all other areas with low positivity rate.
Although listed in the priority area list, officials said they will still follow the government priority list of people who would be vaccinated, namely;
1. Frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, private and public, health professionals and non-professionals like students, nursing aides, janitors, barangay health workers, etc.
2. Senior citizens aged 60 years old and above
3. Persons with comorbidities not otherwise included in the preceding categories
4. Frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel and those in working sectors identified by the IATF as essential during ECQ
5. Indigent population not otherwise included in the preceding categories
6. Other government workers
7. Other essential workers
8. Socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and indigent people
9. Overseas Filipino Workers
10. Other remaining workforce
11. Rest of the Filipino population not otherwise included in the above groups
