MANILA, Philippines — Some minimum wage workers and overseas Filipino workers under the fourth priority group will get vaccinated against COVID-19 on Labor Day, Malacañang announced.
This is after the government’s pandemic task force approved the Department of Labor and Employment’s request for 5,000 vaccine doses to be used in a “symbolic inoculation ceremony” on May 1.
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Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the labor department has been directed to create a masterlist to ensure the equitable representation of the labor sector during the ceremony.
The workers who would be chosen to participate in the ceremony would effectively be the first people under the fourth priority group to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The government has not yet released guidelines on the inoculation of people under priority group A4, which it targets to begin vaccinating by June.
While the government touts that the Philippines is the third country in Southeast Asia with the most number of doses administered, it neglects to say that only around 1% of the population have been given a vaccine and has been administering shots at a snail’s pace owing also to the scarce supply of jabs. — Xave Gregorio