Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte received his first dose of Chinese vaccine, after he said he would make way for people who need more vaccination, as the archipelago faces an epidemic outbreak.
Officials say the 76-year-old head of state was vaccinated on Monday (May 3) with Sinopharm, the vaccine that was secretly administered to members of his security team last year before it was even approved. by the competent authorities.
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Photos posted on the Facebook page of an adviser to the president show the president sitting in the process of being vaccinated by the secretary of health Francisco Duque.
“He was vaccinated, not only to protect his health but also to encourage our citizens to get vaccinated,”
said Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.
“As a senior, he was one of the priority people for immunization. "
Duterte had in the past expressed his confidence in vaccines made by Russia and China, even offering to play guinea pigs for Moscow's “Sputnik V”.
But last month, the Philippine president said he would give up getting vaccinated against Covid-19 immediately, saying older people like him should not be a priority.
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Sinopharm is not widely offered in the Philippines, where vaccination programs rely on China's other vaccine, Sinovac, Sputnik V and Astrazeneca.
As of May 1, 1.6 million Filipinos had received their first dose out of a population of 110 million.
Only 300,000 had received their second dose, according to official figures.
The archipelago is currently battling an epidemic outbreak that has pushed the total number of cases to more than one million.
More than 17,500 have officially succumbed to the coronavirus in the archipelago.
Distrust of vaccines is widespread in the Philippines.
According to a recent study, 60% of the population do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
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