Abby hits unequal vaccine allocation

by Ghio Ong (The Philippine Star), 14 Aug 2021

MANILA, Philippines — There seems to be an unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for some sectors in Makati, Mayor Abby Binay said yesterday.

Most of the vaccines donated by the national government were given to health workers, senior citizens, persons with medical issues and indigent residents while fewer vaccines were given to workers, Binay said in an interview over ANC.

“There is a lack of supply for a certain category and an oversupply for a bigger category… We have so much for A1, A2, A3 and A5 but we have shortage under the A4,” she said.

According to the national government’s COVID-19 vaccine priority list, health workers, the elderly, persons with comorbidities and the indigent population belong to the A1, A2, A3 and A5 categories, respectively, while economic frontliners belong to the A4 group.

The city government has received donations of COVID-19 vaccines that came from the COVAX Facility of the World Health Organization, which mandates that vaccines from COVAX should be given to A1, A2, A3 and A5 groups.

Binay said while the city government wanted to give the vaccines to everyone who needed it, she understands that the COVAX Facility was “very strict” about the groups to be prioritized for the vaccines.

She said she also tried to arrange a swap of AstraZeneca vaccines donated by the COVAX Facility with one million doses of the same brand Makati has ordered from the company. The donated vaccines would be given to the A4 group and the rest of the population while the order is pending.

“I did try that avenue, and I was not allowed,” Binay said.

As of Thursday, the city government had given first doses to 223,059 people while 128,212 others had been fully vaccinated. The city government is supposed to inoculate 437,192 people for the city to achieve herd immunity.