Filipino athletes bound for the Tokyo Olympics and the Hanoi SEA Games this year will be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, the head of the Senate health committee said Tuesday.
Sen. Bong Go cited the commitment from Health Sec. Francisco Duque III and vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr.
Vaccine priority for the athletes will be observed without prejudice to previously identified priority individuals, including health frontliners, senior citizens, persons with co-morbidities, and essential sectors, said Go.
Go appealed to the national government to ensure that the Filipino athletes are inoculated before travelling to Tokyo and Hanoi later this year for their respective competitions.
"Ang tagumpay nila ay tagumpay rin ng buong bansa. Hirap na hirap na ang ating mga kababayan pero subukan nating bigyan ang taumbayan ng rason na magkaroon ng pag-asa at magkaisa," he said.
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Go called on the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) along with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to finalize the masterlist of athletes competing for the Olympics and SEA Games and submit their names to the Department of Health.
The Philippines is expected to send around 100 athletes for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled from July 23 to Aug. 8, according to the PSC and the POC. An estimated 1,500 athletes will be sent to Hanoi for the SEA Games from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2.
