More workers in priority list in national vaccination vs COVID-19

CEBU, Philippines —  The so-called economic frontliners are now part of Priority Group A4 of the National COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan, as approved by the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

“Maapil na kini ang atong gitawag nga frontliners sa atong A4 priority group. These economic frontliners include the vendors, drivers, the manufacturing and logistics,” said Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist and spokesperson of the Department Health (DOH) in Region 7.

Loreche said Central Visayas is yet to begin a master list of those who can be vaccinated in the A4 group. For now, the focus remains with priority group A2, the senior citizens, and priority A3, the persons with comorbidities.

Sub-Groups

Priority Group A4 has several sub-groups classified as A4.1 to A4.17:

A4.1 – commuter transport (land, air, and sea), including logistics

A4.2 – public and private wet and dry market vendors, frontline workers in groceries, supermarkets, delivery services

A4.3 – workers in the manufacturing for food, beverage, medical and pharmaceutical products

A4.4 – frontline workers in food retail, including food service delivery

A4.5 – frontline workers in financial services in private and government

A4.6 – frontline workers in hotels and accommodation establishments

A4.7 – priests, rabbis, imams, and other religious leaders regardless of denominations

A4.8 – security guards/personnel of establishments, offices, agencies, and organizations identified in the list of priority industries/sectors

A4.9 – frontline workers in news media, both in private and government

A4.10 – customer-facing personnel of telecoms, cable and internet service providers, electricity distribution and water distribution utilities

A4.11 – frontline personnel in basic education and higher education institutions and agencies

A4.12 – Overseas Filipino Workers not classified above and scheduled for deployment within two months

A4.13 – frontline workers in law/justice, security, and social protection sectors

A4.14 – frontline government workers engaged in the operations of government transport system, quarantine inspection, worker safety inspection and other activities indispensable to the COVID-19 response

A4.15 – frontline government workers in charge of tax collection, assessment of businesses for incentives, election, national ID, data collection personnel

A4.16 – diplomatic community and Department of Foreign Affairs personnel in consular operations

A4.17 – Department of Public Works and Highways personnel in charge of monitoring government infrastructure projects

Media workers

Senator Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, welcomed the inclusion of media workers in the government’s revised priority list of essential workers up for vaccination, but he maintained that vaccine supply should be assured as well.

“This updated priority list of essential workers is good news. Those who keep the public informed are as essential as those who teach, transport, feed and protect us,” he said.

Villanueva underscored the importance of vaccinating essential workers, a call he spearheaded as early as January this year.

The senator said workers providing various services at essential establishments such as groceries, markets, public utilities, public transport, food manufacturing and retail, and the media could continue their important functions in society.

“By vaccinating them, we end up being protected as well. But in the case of our essential workers, there is double protection. Aside from lives, livelihoods are likewise made safe,” he said. – JMO (FREEMAN)