Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard Gordon proposed on Thursday that the national government should include family and household members of healthcare and economic frontliners in its COVID-19 vaccination priority list.
In a letter addressed to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III, Gordon recommended that the government should prioritize the frontliners, their families, and other companions as a group to prevent the whole household from being exposed to COVID-19.
“Our healthcare and economic workers face the danger of being exposed to the virus every day, and are even more burdened with worry that they might bring the virus to their homes. Prioritizing their household members will allay their fears and boost their morale, knowing that they can return to their families safely after working in the frontlines,” Gordon said.
Currently, the government has identified frontline workers in health facilities as the A1 priority group.
Senior citizens and persons with co-morbidities are A2 and A3 respectively, followed by frontliners in essential sectors such as commuter transport, markets and groceries, food manufacturing and retail, news media, and specific government agencies.
“We need to alleviate the suffering of our COVID-19 patients by setting up facilities that will give them the best medical care, which fully-vaccinated and wholly-supported healthcare workers can help provide. It is crucial that we also uplift the dignity of our workers who hold the frontlines against this deadly virus to provide for their families and serve the nation,” Gordon said.
The PRC is now mobilizing its divisions nationwide to establish and get accreditation for PRC Bakuna Centers in order to immediately support the national government’s immunization efforts. (PRC) PG-rir
