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DOH said it took a while for the secretary to get inoculated because of his busy schedule.
Metro Manila, CNN Philippines (April 23) — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, almost two months into the government’s inoculation program.
“Talagang magpapabakuna na si Secretary kasi kasama siya sa eligible population. Nagkaroon lang na maraming trabaho,” Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
The 64-year-old Cabinet member received a shot of CoronaVac made by Chinese manufacturer Sinovac.
Duque was not able to receive his shots during the first few weeks of the vaccination program in March because the Food And Drug Administration previously prohibited its use on people aged 60 and above. But this month, it was given the go-signal as long as the senior citizen undergoes health evaluation prior to vaccination.
[Translation: He was really planning on getting vaccinated because he is part of the eligible population. He was just inundated with work.]
Latest government data show that around 1.6 million doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca have already been administered in the country.
