Duque: Extreme elderly shouldn't immediately get COVID-19 vaccine

While senior citizens 60 years old and older were among those prioritized to receive the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Saturday that the extreme elderly should not be immediately inoculated.

According to Vonne Aquino’s report on “24 Oras Weekend,” the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases released the list of priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19.

Duque also said that healthcare workers at public hospitals were not required to get vaccinated.

“Voluntary ito. Kailangan 'yung mga gustong magpabakuna pipirma pa ng final consent form,” Duque said.

“’Yung ayaw magpabakuna, pipirma din sila na ayaw nila magpabakuna o mag-aantay sila hangga't ‘yung kanilang type na bakuna ‘yung darating. Pero hindi tayo nakakasiguro,” he added.

The Health secretary also said the duties of medical frontliners who declined to get vaccinated would not be affected.

“Hindi naman, dahil ‘yan naman basta’t meron silang minimum public health standards—naka-mask, naka-face shield, eh, nagso-social distancing sa trabaho,” he said.

Duque on Friday said the vaccines against COVID-19 may arrive by next week. — Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News