Priests and leaders of religious groups, regardless of denomination, are included in the A4 vaccine priority list.

Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David thanked the government for recognizing priests and the religious as front-liners.

“We are recognized as front-liners and we will be prioritized in getting the vaccine,” he said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas on Friday. “That (being vaccinated) is important. If you deploy them, there will be lesser risks. The severity of the infection will not be fatal or deadly if the person has been inoculated.”

Other bishops and priests have received their shots as part of the A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (aged 18 to 59 with comorbidities) groups.

The 62-year-old David, also the vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Permanent Council, received his first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine from the local government last month.

Other bishops who have been vaccinated were Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, Baguio Bishop Victor Bendico, Jaro Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo, and Balanga, Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos.

On Friday, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the recommendation to add more sectors under the A4 priority group. (PNA)