Frontline health workers or health care providers will get the first shot at the H1N1 vaccines as soon as these are made available by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Department of Health (DoH) said Saturday.

WHO Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan, earlier pledged some nine million doses of A(H1N1) for the Philippines as part of an agreement signed by the government and the WHO. The agreement was presented to President Arroyo last week.

“These medical personnel are at higher risk of getting the disease than ordinary people due to the larger probability of exposure, plus they may also unknowingly transmit the infections to their families and other patients with other illnesses,’’ said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

“Our second priority are pregnant women because they have ten times the risk of needing intensive care if infected compared to the general population,’’ he said.

Duque said those next in line are people aged 6 months to 59 years old with chronic medical conditions, children five years old and below and adults who are beyond 60 years old, healthy or otherwise because they are considered to be at highest risk to severe infection, and the remaining population.

As stipulated in the agreement, Duque said that vaccination is free of charge and will be provided only to those who will volunteer to be immunized against A(H1N1).