The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved the Priority Group A of the National COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan, Malacanang said on Friday.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the IATF gave its nod on the sectors included in the A4 list during its meeting on Thursday, April 15.

Priority Group A4 includes commuter transport (land, air, and sea), including logistics; public and private wet and dry market vendors; frontline workers in groceries, supermarkets, delivery services; workers in manufacturing for food, beverage, medical and pharmaceutical products; frontline workers in food retail, including food service delivery; frontline workers in private and government financial services; and frontline workers in hotels and accommodation establishments.

Also included in the Priority Group A4 list are priests, rabbis, imams, and other religious leaders; security guards/ personnel assigned in offices, agencies, and organizations identified in the list of priority industries/sectors; frontline workers in private and government news media; customer-facing personnel of telecoms, cable and internet service providers, electricity distribution and water distribution utilities; frontline personnel in basic education and higher education institutions and agencies; and overseas Filipino workers, including those scheduled for deployment within two months.

Frontline workers in law/justice, security, and social protection sectors; frontline government workers engaged in the operations of government transport system, quarantine inspection; worker safety inspection and other COVID-19 response activities; frontline government workers in charge of tax collection, assessment of businesses for incentives, election, national ID, data collection personnel; diplomatic community and Department of Foreign Affairs personnel in consular operations; and the Department of Public Works and Highways personnel in charge of monitoring government infrastructure projects are also part of the Priority Group A4 list.

While the IATF has approved the A4 list, with the limited COVID-19 vaccines, those allowed to receive the jabs are A1 or workers in frontline health services, A2 or all senior citizens, and A3 or persons with comorbidities. Celerina Monte/DMS