DUMAGUETE CITY – People who received Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) here over the weekend belonged to priority sectors and walk-ins were not accommodated, a key provincial government official said Monday.
Bimbo Miraflor, Capitol information officer and Covid-19 spokesperson for the province’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), in a statement said the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) “prioritized sectors A1, A2, and A3 lists for the Pfizer vaccine”.
His statement came as netizens and city residents hit the provincial government for alleged favoritism and preferential treatment of people who had “connections”, noting that some of those who received the well sought-after vaccine brand were young people who appeared to be not covered by the priority lists.
Some of them even posted photos on social media receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
On Sunday, photos and videos of the vaccination activity at the NOPH went trending as people flocked to the hospital despite the rain and even appeared to be ignoring basic protocols such as social distancing.
“Considering the shortage of a reefer for the vaccine, these people were accommodated, only after medical evaluation if they have comorbidities and could be placed under A3,” Miraflor said of the supposed walk-ins.
He, however, could not give the criteria under which these people belonged or how and why they were chosen as vaccinees.
“Those who were there were individuals who were invited or encouraged, being part of the priority lists. If any of them were vaccinated, maybe because upon check-up they were found to be hypertensive or had comorbidities,” he said in mixed English and Cebuano dialect.
The people who went there and were not on the priority list and did not have comorbidities were sent home, he pointed out.
The province received 1,117 doses or 195 vials of the Pfizer vaccines late last week, which had to be consumed immediately as there is no available ultra-cold storage for this particular brand.
Source: Philippines News Agency
