MANILA — Senior citizens and people with health risks who refuse to take available COVID-19 vaccines will move back to the end of the line and lose their priority slot in the inoculation drive, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Only health workers, the top vaccination priority, were given leeway to use the vaccines they prefer, said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.

Government will not force the next top priority groups– the elderly and those with comorbities– to use available COVID-19 shots, he said.

"Pero matatapos na po iyong kaniyang prayoridad. Kumbaga, back to the end of the line. That’s only fair," Roque said in a press briefing.

(But their prioritization will end. In other words, it will be back to the end of the line for them.)

Video courtesy of PTV

Roque cited Social Weather Stations survey released this week that showed that about 39 percent of respondents prefer the coronavirus vaccine from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, while 32 percent most like the COVID-19 jab from US-based Pfizer.

The poll was conducted between April 28 and May 2. The Philippines received its first batch of 193,000 Pfizer jabs on May 10.

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The same survey showed that 63 percent of Filipinos prefer the United States as the source of COVID-19 vaccines.

"Naiintindihan naman po natin ‘yan. Talaga namang sa ating kasaysayan, ang mga Pilipino ay mas humahanga sa mga [galing] stateside," said Roque.

(We understand that. Historically, Filipinos admire those stateside.)

However, he noted that the current supply of US-made jabs remain insufficient, while more infectious COVID-19 variants are spreading.

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"Bagama't mayroon tayong preference sa stateside, unahin na po muna natin ang ating mga buhay, ang buhay ng ating pamilya, ng ating komunidad. Magpabakuna na po kung ano available," he said.

(Although we have a preference for the stateside, let us put first our lives, the life of our family, our community. Get vaccinated with what is available.)

Sinovac jabs account for the majority of the Philippines' 8.279 million COVID-19 jabs, at least 4.3 million of which has been administered as of May 24.

• Philippines: COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker