The priority population groups for COVID-19 immunization are as follows:

Group A:

A1. Frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, public and private, health professionals and non-professionals like students in health and allied professions courses with clinical responsibilities, nursing aides, janitors, barangay health workers, etc.;

A1.1 COVID-19 referral hospitals
A1.2 Hospitals catering to COVID-19 cases
A1.3 Quarantine/isolation facilities
A1.4 Remaining hospitals
A1.5 Government-owned community-based primary care facilities
A1.6 Remaining healthcare facilities (thru LGU)
A1.7 Closed healthcare institutions (such as nursing homes)

A2. Senior citizens;
A3. Adults with comorbidities;
A4. Frontline personnel in essential sectors both public and private, including uniformed personnel, and those working in sectors identified by the IATF that are directly client facing and cannot dutifully meet minimum public health standards; and
A5. Poor population based on National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR)

Group B:

B1. Teachers, social workers;
B2. Other government workers;
B3. Other essential workers;
B4. Socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and poor population based on NHTS-PR;
B5. Overseas Filipino Workers; and
B6. Other remaining workforce

Group C:

Rest of the Filipino population not otherwise included in preceding groups

With the initial limited supply, frontline health workers and uniformed personnel are prioritized since they have higher risk of exposure while on duty and to allow them to continue fulfilling their duties in both the public and private sectors. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the indigent population, are prioritized guided by the principle of equity.

For priority group A1, all workers in a health facility shall be taken as a group. If the incoming supply of vaccines is lower than the population group to be vaccinated, sub-prioritization of facilities or institutions will be done based on (a) historical admission of COVID-19 cases and (b) allocated and occupied COVID-19 beds, in the following order:

a. COVID-19 referral hospitals designated by the DOH;

b. Public and private hospitals and infirmaries providing COVID-19 care, as prioritized based on service capability, starting from level 3 hospitals, to level 2 hospitals to level 1 hospitals, and then infirmaries;

c. Among hospitals with a common service capability, the order of priority shall be from facilities owned by the DOH, then facilities owned by LGUs, and then facilities owned by private entities;

d. Isolation and quarantine facilities such as temporary treatment and monitoring facilities and converted facilities (e.g. hotels, schools, etc) that cater to COVID-19 suspect, probable, and confirmed cases, close contacts, and travellers in quarantine;

e. Remaining hospitals including facilities of uniformed services not catering to COVID-19 cases;

f. Government owned primary care based facilities such as Urban Health Centers, Rural Health Units and Barangay Health Stations, birthing homes, and Local Health Offices to include members of BHERTS, contact tracers, social workers;

g. Stand-alone facilities, clinics and diagnostic centers, and other facilities otherwise not specified (e.g. clinics, dialysis centers, dental clinics, and COVID-19 laboratories), dealing with COVID-19 cases, contacts, and specimens for research purposes, screening and case management coordinated through their respective local government units; and

h. Closed institutions and settings such as, but not limited to, nursing homes, orphanages, jails, detention centers, correctional facilities, drug treatment and rehabilitation centers, and Bureau of Corrections.

Sub-prioritization for other priority groups shall be released in succeeding issuances.

Yes. Frontline workers in health facilities including non-professionals like students in health and allied professions courses with clinical responsibilities are part of Priority Group A.

Yes. Frontline workers in health facilities including non-healthcare professionals like ambulance staff, janitors, administrative staff, etc. are part of Priority Group A.

The cost of vaccines for priority groups will be shouldered by the Philippine government.

Based on DM 2021-0099, otherwise known as, Interim Omnibus Guidelines for the Implementation of the National Vaccine Deployment Plan for COVID-19, sub-prioritization shall be determined by DOH upon recommendation of NITAG conducted within a priority population group through selection of geographic areas if there is insufficient incoming supply of vaccines. Sub-prioritization shall be based on:

a. COVID-19 burden of disease (current active cases, attack rate per 100,000 population in the past 4 weeks, and population density); and

b. Vaccination site and/or LGU readiness, in particular, its supply chain capability, to mount a vaccination campaign

he objective is to provide equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to the priority eligible groups or almost 70 million Filipinos by 2021, 60-70% of Filipinos by 2022, and followed by the remaining Filipino population in the next three (3) years.

The Government plans to vaccinate all eligible Filipinos for free, starting with 50 to 70 million in 2021. Eligibility would depend on the vaccines available, specifications for their allowable use, as well as scope of use authorized by our Philippine FDA.

Commercialization of vaccines with EUA is not yet allowed under relevant FDA issuances.

This will depend on the vaccine. For those currently available, Sinovac can be given to clinically healthy individuals 18 to 59 years old, while AstraZeneca can be given to those 18 years old and above, including senior citizens.

DOH shall develop a Department Memorandum for every COVID vaccine to be deployed in the country and this DM shall indicate the target or recommended age groups per vaccine.

Results from Phase II and Phase III trials of COVID-19 vaccines are currently insufficient for the pediatric age group (<18 yrs old), limiting health experts from formulating any recommendations. Further studies will help in the future inclusion of children for vaccination.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Information Management System - Immunization Registry (VIMS-IR) shall be the official platform for masterlisting and pre-registration of individuals for COVID-19 vaccination. The VIMS platform shall also enable use of information and communications technology for scheduling, notification, and vaccination reminders.

The Vaccine Information Management System - Immunization Registry (VIMS-IR) is used only for masterlisting and as the registry of eligible population. Health facilities and vaccination centers upload their data or linelist of those who were vaccinated to the VIMS - Vaccine Administration System (VAS).

DOH will have central access to all of this data including those that are vaccinated. It is stored centrally at DICT. DOH CHDs have been given access to their appropriate data.

All Filipinos will need to be masterlisted with their full health profile prior to vaccination. But the first phase will involve all frontline health workers in the public and private sector. The schedule of masterlisting will be consistent with the ordering of prioritization in the National Vaccine Deployment Plan.

You will need to register through the Human Resource or Administrative Office of the health facility which you belong to.

Health facilities and LGUs may submit required data online through VIMS-IR, any information system linked to VIMS-IR, or physical forms for areas without connectivity. The forms are to be consolidated by the Human Resource Office of the facility and submitted to LGUs for encoding and submission to CHDs.

Personal information, such as but not limited to full name, birthday, and PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN), shall be collected to ensure no doubling of identified potential vaccine recipients. Health data will also be collected to help your vaccination team assess your eligibility for the vaccine.

The LGU or zones will determine the scheduling for vaccination. The Vaccine Information Management System (VIMS) platform shall be used for scheduling, notifying, and reminding individuals of their scheduled vaccination.

All potential vaccine recipients must present any government-issued identification card, such as PRC license, driver's license, UMID, PhilHealth ID, or passport. In case an individual does not have a government ID with photo, any other government document, such as cedula, barangay certificate, or birth certificate may be presented.

Local government units (LGUs) are in charge of masterlisting or profiling. For other groups under eligible populations, detailed guidelines shall be developed and disseminated accordingly.