Duterte prioritizes Pfizer vaccines for indigent Filipinos

President Rodrigo Duterte has mandated that only the indigent population (A5 priority group) will receive Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses procured through the COVAX Facility.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stated that this aligns with COVAX Facility's rules for prioritizing vulnerable sectors.

The President also directed that Pfizer vaccines should be administered in barangay vaccination sites, especially in areas with low vaccine uptake, rather than in malls.

This directive is expected to primarily affect future shipments of Pfizer doses, as most of the initial doses delivered have already been administered or allocated for second doses.

The Philippines is anticipating the arrival of 2.2 million more Pfizer doses from COVAX Facility by the end of May.

The COVAX Facility, a global initiative, aims to ensure equitable access to vaccines for developing nations.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. confirmed that COVAX has specific guidelines for distributing vaccines to vulnerable populations.