Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 6) — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has agreed to take up the challenge of taking the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine that will be available in the country to prove its safety to Filipinos.
In a statement on Sunday, Duque said he is willing to be inoculated, but only after the vaccines have been evaluated.
“Sure, I will have myself vaccinated once the Vaccine Expert Panel of the DOST and FDA’s regulatory and technical evaluation determine the safety quality and effectiveness of the vaccines,” Duque said.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go previously dared Duque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to take the first shots to encourage Filipinos to avail of the coronavirus vaccines once they become ready for rollout next year. Galvez has yet to reply to Go’s call.
On her Sunday radio show, Vice President Leni Robredo said she would agree to be one of the first in line for the vaccine, but believes officials should be willing to take the challenge with the proper intention.
“Depende sa dahilan. Kung ang dahilan magpapakita ay ma-encourage iyong confidence sa kaligtasan ng bakuna, tama iyon,” Robredo said. “Pero hindi siya tama kung ang dahilan, gusto niya siya lagi ang unang maprotektahan kasi ang dapat maunang protektahan ‘yung pinaka-exposed, at nagsang-ayon ako na health care workers iyon.”
[Translation: It depends on the reason. If the reason is to encourage confidence on the safety of the vaccine, it is right. But it’s not right if the motive is to protect yourself first, because the ones that need to be protected should be the ones who are most exposed to the virus, and I agree that they are the health care workers.]
The government has already listed health care workers as the first group that will be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine. Robredo also previously suggested that the first recipients should be specifically named to avoid delays and other hurdles.
She also encouraged the public to be on the lookout for misinformation and “irresponsible noise-making” against COVID-19 vaccination, to avoid a repeat of “fake news” that once led to the Dengvaxia scare and vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos.
The Philippines has so far secured 2.6 million doses of British drugmaker AstraZeneca’s vaccine through the help of private sector donations, with its application already forwarded to the FDA for its final approval.
The country is also projected to receive doses from China’s Sinovac and Russia’s Gamaleya Institute as early as the first quarter of 2021 amid “advanced” supply negotiations, Galvez previously said.
According to the Budget Department, the Philippines is ready to spend more than ₱73 billion to vaccinate 60 million Filipinos.
