Vaccination top priority for COVID-19 hit PBA

The PBA kicked off last year’s bubble tournament with TNT and Alaska facing off at Angeles
Foundation University.—DENISON REY A. DALUPANG

MANILA, Philippines — The PBA has turned its efforts to inoculate the entire league against COVID-19, a move that would likely determine how its plans of holding its 46th season this year would pan out.

The league believes getting its players, coaches, officials and personnel inoculated will make it easier to return to play especially without having to stage a bubble-type conference.

“The objective is still to open as soon as possible. The first order of the day is for the whole PBA family to be vaccinated,” said PBA vice chair Bobby Rosales in an online press briefing Tuesday.

Fortunately for the PBA, there won’t be any shortage in supply as far as getting vaccines is concerned with sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan, the Philippine Red Cross and the San Miguel Corporation willing to provide jabs.

“We don’t have a problem with the supply. The question is when can we have the PBA family vaccinated? The supply is just starting to come in,” Rosales said.

Ideally, the plan is for the PBA to play under a closed-circuit setup. Marcial, though, cleared that playing inside a bubble environment remains an option.

But everything will depend on the vaccination program of the league.

“The governors and I are looking at possibly getting the vaccines by May or June, but we don’t have control over it,” Marcial said.

Marcial is scheduled to meet with the IATF next week.