Duterte not yet vaccinated vs. COVID-19, says Año

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte has not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19.

In a radio interview, Año said Duterte, 75, wants to be inoculated against COVID-19 but his doctors are not in favor of it as there are no vaccines yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"Si Presidente mismo nagsasabi sa amin na gusto niya pero ang advice ng doktor niya ay huwag. Talagang hindi pa siya nagpapabakuna, ayaw ng mga doktor niya," Año said.

Duterte last Saturday bared that some soldiers already received the vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm, which has yet to secure FDA's approval.

In Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said he has no information whether Duterte has been vaccinated against COVID-19, which has so far killed over 9,000 in the Philippines.

At a news conference, Roque said Duterte has asked if he could get multiple COVID-19 vaccines.

“Wala po akong alam kung nabakunahan na siya pero I’m just putting in context na iyon po talaga iyong mga narinig ko sa bibig na ng Presidente, tinatanong niya kung magpapabakuna na siya, pupuwede pa bang magpabakuna ulit in the future,” he said.

“I don’t think the President will allow any vaccine to enter his system unless he has considered it.”

Early this month, Roque said Duterte was willing to get vaccinated once the COVID-19 vaccines secured emergency use authorization from the FDA.

So far, only Pfizer-BioNTech has applied for EUA for its vaccine, which may allow it to be the first to be made available in the Philippines.

Roque said that it would take the FDA 21 days to approve the application. —KBK, GMA News