Manila starts Pfizer vax for priority groups A1, A2, A3

The city of Manila began administering Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to priority groups A1 (medical front-liners), A2 (senior citizens), and A3 (individuals with comorbidities) starting Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

An initial 900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were available at the Manila Prince Hotel, which quickly filled up due to a "first-come, first-served" basis.

The city government expanded the coverage of Pfizer vaccinations to include senior citizens and persons with comorbidities on May 18, after initially only offering it to health frontline workers when the rollout began on May 13.

Some residents expressed disappointment on social media after receiving a text blast about walk-in vaccinations for A2 and A3 groups the night before, which did not explicitly promise Pfizer vaccines and linked to vaccination sites administering Sinovac vaccines.

Mayor Isko Moreno clarified that while walk-in vaccinations were allowed for qualified recipients, the text blast did not guarantee Pfizer doses.

In addition to the Pfizer vaccinations, Manila also resumed its home service vaccination program for bedridden patients using Sinovac vaccines, and conducted second-dose vaccinations for AstraZeneca recipients at the Ospital ng Maynila.