Roque to ask President Duterte to consider taking AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday that he will ask President Rodrigo Duterte to consider getting an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Roque made the disclosure hours before the expected arrival in the Philippines of 487,200 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from COVAX facility .

“His latest pronouncement is he prefers a Chinese brand that is not yet available in the Philippines as it is still awaiting an EUA (emergency use authorization) from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). However, I will ask if he will consider AstraZeneca because in other countries ‘no, wala namang limitation on the use of AstraZeneca,” Roque said in a press briefing.

He earlier said that the President prefers to be inoculated with a Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, but such vaccine brand is yet to secure EUA from the FDA.

The only available COVID-19 vaccine in the country so far is Sinovac's CoronaVac, with 600,000 doses of it, donated by the Chinese government, arriving in the country last February 28.

Under the government protocol, medical frontliners should be prioritized in the COVID-19 vaccination program. Likewise, medical frontliners are allowed to choose a vaccine brand of their preference without losing their priority status.

Pressed as to why the President gets to choose the brand of COVID-19 vaccine he would take, Roque said that the President’s stature and age factor were taken into consideration.

“The President is the president and because he is over 70 years old ‘no,” he said.

“Well, alam mo kung masusunod talaga, hindi talaga dapat magpabakuna pa si Presidente dahil hindi pa tapos ang mga medical frontliners. So your question really is moot and academic for now ‘no kasi hindi pa turn ng mga seniors. Maybe we should answer that question kapag turn na ng mga seniors,” Roque added.—AOL, GMA News