Gov't adviser: A4 vaccination vs. COVID-19 will run from June to November

Vaccinating 28 million Filipinos under A4 category against COVID-19 will be finished by November this year, a government special adviser said Wednesday.

Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said such longer timeline is due to expanded coverage of A4 category amid tight supply of vaccines.

Last week, the government expanded the A4 category by including all workers required to physically report for work from essential workers who are required to physically report to work during the strictest enhanced community quarantine protocol.

"A4 is a lot of people. It is almost 28 million, and we cannot finish vaccinating them within June. That will probably go on until November," Herbosa said during the Laging Handa briefing.

The expanded A4 category also prompted the government to prioritize vaccination of those aged 40 to 59 years old, a policy which Herbosa says is necessary to avoid chaos.

"There is prioritization para walang gulo, walang nag-uunahan. And those aged 40 to 59 are more likely to have comorbidities or be seriously ill when infected with COVID-19," Herbosa pointed out.

Herbosa, however, assured the public that the vaccination prioritization can be revised as soon as there is enough supply.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said that 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be delivered to the Philippines within the month of June.

The vaccine brands include Sinovac, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Sputnik V.

Of the Philippines' around 8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine supply so far, five million doses are Sinovac.—AOL, GMA News