Duterte cannot wait to get COVID-19 vaccine, Roque says

President Rodrigo Duterte cannot wait to get vaccinated against COVID-19, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Friday.

Roque made the announcement a day after the President certified the bill allowing local government units to make advance payments exceeding 15% in buying COVID-19 vaccines and indemnification bill which will allow the government to financially compensate those who will experience severe adverse events as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Tatapatin ko kayo, si Presidente ang nagsalita na siya mismo naiinip na, kinakailangan dumating na ang mga bakuna. Kaya naman siguro dahil nagsalita na ng ganyan ang Presidente eh gagalaw na ng mabilis ang lahat,” Roque said in an interview with state-run PTV-4.

Roque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. earlier said that the arrival of first batch of 117,000 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility have been delayed due to pending indemnification agreement.

Roque has also said that the scheduled February 23 arrival of 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac, which was donated by the Chinese government, could also be delayed since the pharmaceutical firm is yet to be issued emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA has only issued EUA to two COVID-19 vaccines so far: that of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca which have been found to have a 70% to as much as 95% efficacy rate.—AOL, GMA News