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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 18) – Malacañang said Monday that the public should await President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision on whether to receive the first vaccine against COVID-19. This, as Vice President Leni Robredo previously said, the move could boost Filipinos’ confidence in vaccines.
“That’s what he’s referring to … Let him decide,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a briefing when asked about the palace’s reaction to Robredo’s statement.
[Translation: The matter is being discussed already… Let’s let him decide.]On Saturday, Robredo said vaccinating Duterte first will help strengthen public confidence in the government’s vaccination program against the coronavirus. Of 2,400 Filipino adults surveyed by Pulse Asia from November 23 to December 2, 47% said they were unwilling to get vaccinated due to safety concerns.
Roque emphasized that the national government really did not expect to win the trust of Filipinos when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, saying that many are in wait and see mode before opting to get vaccinated.
But he said the government is “in no rush” as only 50,000 to 100,000 doses are expected to reach the Philippines next month.
In August last year, Duterte himself volunteered to be the first person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from Russia to demonstrate its effectiveness.
When asked which vaccine is recommended for the president, infectious disease expert Rontgene Solante, who was also present during the briefing, said that all three vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, are “safe to administer regardless of age. “.
Roque stressed that Duterte’s vaccination plan is “solely between him and his doctor.”
The highest priority sectors of the vaccination program include the “poorest of the poor,” the police and the military, Duterte said previously.
The government received a public uproar following the unauthorized vaccination of the Presidential Security Group.
Duterte earlier this month ordered PSG not to attend any congressional hearings on the controversy.
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