PNP chief set to take first dose of vaccination rollout for cops
MANILA, Philippines — With vaccination for the A4 priority group underway, the chief of the Philippine National Police will be the first to take the coronavirus vaccines allocated for uniformed personnel under the agency.
In a statement sent to reporters Thursday, Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said that he will be joined by the members of the Command Group in receiving the first jabs in the PNP as part of an information campaign for the agency's personnel. He did not say when his scheduled jab would take place.
"We won't choose what brand will be administered to us. We subscribe to the findings of health experts that all vaccine brands are safe and effective, so we will take advantage of this free vaccination regardless of the brand," he said in mixed Filipino and English.
Per the findings of a June 10 survey, a total of 92.2% of PNP personnel have expressed willingness to be vaccinated, up from just 51% in February.
The latest PNP data also shows that a total of 16,646 policemen have already been vaccinated, 11,167 of whom have already taken their second doses. The remaining personnel await the schedule of their second dose.
Eleazar in his statement said he wanted to highlight that vaccination is the responsibility of every citizen and that all the vaccine brands are safe.
As it currently stands, the PNP is yet to receive another batch of COVID-19 vaccines that would be used for its personnel under the A4 list.
“We're still waiting for our vaccine allocation but I have already instructed all PNP personnel to take advantage of the COVID vaccines that would be offered to them by their respective LGUs," the police chief also said.
The A4 priority group consists of frontline workers and uniformed personnel. A number of local government units have already started vaccination for the category, with the Department of the Interior and Local Government already approving police vaccination at local government facilities.
To date, the Department of Health has recorded 1.29 million coronavirus infections in the country, 54,000 of whom remain classified as active cases.
The PNP's Health Services have also recorded 25,190 cases thus far, with 1,756 still active and recovering in quarantine centers.
— Franco Luna
- Latest
- Trending
