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Covid: Overseas Filipino workers now priority for vaccinations in Philippines

Manila - OFWs who are set to be deployed abroad within four months from their target vaccination date will now be able to get the free jabs

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are now among the top priority for vaccinations in the Philippines, the government announced on Friday.

In a new resolution issued by the Philippine government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), OFWs who are set to be deployed abroad within four months from their target vaccination date will now be able to get the free jabs ahead of other sectors of the community.

"The IATF likewise recategorized to Priority Group A1 outbound overseas Filipino workers for deployment within the next four months from the intended date of vaccination," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised announcement.

Immediate family members of healthcare workers have also been moved up to the A1 priority group and shall be administered the vaccine once the supply becomes available, Roque added.

Mass vaccination in the Philippines is now in full swing, with slots being opened up to certain workers that fall under the country’s “economic frontliners”. Among those included in the next priority group for June are private-sector employees who are required to work outside their residence; employees of government agencies; those in the informal sector who are required to work outside their residences and those in private households.