MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo is "welcome to join" officials who have volunteered to be among the first recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque said he, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana were willing to take the Sinovac vaccine, 600,000 doses of which are expected to arrive this February or early March.

"Kung papayagan tayo ng national task force at Department of Health ay kasama tayo sa mauunang magpabakuna para magbigay kumpiyansa sa ating mga kababayan para mawala ang kanilang agam-agam," Roque told reporters in an online briefing.

"Kung gusto po ni Vice President, she's welcome to join also."

(If the national task force on COVID-19 and the health department allow us, we will be among the first to get vaccinated to give confidence to our compatriots and remove their doubts. If the Vice President wants, she's welcome to join also.)

The Philippine drug regulator earlier this week allowed the emergency use of Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac, but did not recommend its use for health workers and senior citizens.

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Soldiers and 18 to 59-year-old economic frontliners are on top of the priority to get Sinovac shots, said Roque.

"Pasok na pasok naman po si VP Leni, hindi pa naman po siya senior," he said.

(VP Leni is qualified for the age group, she is not yet a senior citizen.)

If Robredo agrees to get Sinovac jabs, she will be the highest ranked executive official to do so.

President Rodrigo Duterte, 75, does not belong to the group recommended to take the Sinovac shot, Roque earlier said.

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Robredo earlier said she was willing to be inoculated against COVID-19 in public. Her office has yet to issue a statement of whether or not she will be willing to take Sinovac shots, as of this posting.

Nearly half or 47 percent of Filipinos said late last year they would not get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a Pulse Asia survey.

A separate OCTA research group poll found that only a fourth of Metro Manila residents were willing to get the anti-coronavirus shots. But the interior department placed this figure lower, saying only 3 in 10 Metro Manila residents wanted to get the jabs.

Video courtesy of PTV