Palace: Philippines to lose 44M COVID-19 vaccine doses if health workers are bypassed in vaccination

The Philippines stands to lose 44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX facility if the priority list vaccination program will not be followed, Malacañang said Thursday.

“Jumping the line is wrong. Tama na po iyan. Iyong 44 million doses po natin na libre sa COVAX, mawawala kung hindi masusunod iyong priority,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.

(Please stop it. We will lose 44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX if the priority list will not be followed.)

The COVAX facility of the World Health Organization (WHO) ensures equitable access of COVID-19 vaccines to poor nations. COVAX stands for COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access.

Roque issued the stern reminder after President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday night warned that getting inoculated ahead of health workers, who are the first in the priority list, has consequences even if he said that it is a gray area since local officials boost vaccine confidence in people.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has identified five mayors who already have received COVID-19 vaccine: Mayor Alfred Romualdez of Tacloban City, Leyte; Mayor Dibu Tuan of T’boli, South Cotabato; Mayor Sulpicio Villalobos of Sto. Nino, South Cotabato;  Mayor Noel Rosal of Legazpi City, Albay; and Mayor Abraham Ibba of Bataraza, Palawan.

“We ask for your indulgence. Huwag po kayo mag-jump ng line. A1 pa lang po tayo. Kayo pong local officials ay nasa A4 [Please don’t jump the line. We are still on A1. You will be fourth in line],” Roque appealed to local officials.

The mayors, meanwhile, said they got inoculated to allay public apprehension regarding the vaccines.

The Philippines has 1,525,600 doses of  Sinovac and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines so far. Of this number, 525,600 doses are AstraZeneca vaccine donated by the COVAX facility.

Over 900,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX are also expected to be delivered to the country this month. —KBK, GMA News