DOH verifying reports on COVID-19 vaccines brought to politician’s Samar home

The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said it was verifying reports that COVID-19 vaccines were allegedly brought to a politician’s home in Samar.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said local health authorities in Samar have yet to submit a report on the incident to the DOH.

“We are trying to verify these reports. Hindi ko pa po masabi kung ito ay totoo o hindi. Kailangan pa rin po namin ma-receive ang official report so that we can act on it,” she said in a briefing.

(We are trying to verify these reports. I cannot confirm whether this is true or not. We still need to receive the official report so that we can act on it.)

Nevertheless, Vergeire called on local officials to work together with the national government in the vaccine rollout.

“Iwasan po nating magkaroon ng ganitong pagkakataon dahil nawawalan po ng tiwala ang ating mga kababayan kapag may ganitong mga reports,” she stressed.

(Let’s avoid incidents like these because the public loses trust in the vaccination program due to these kinds of reports.)

The Philippines’ COVID-19 inoculation campaign previously stirred controversy due to local and national officials jumping the line for jabs.

The World Health Organization warned that the country’s supply of vaccines from the COVAX facility may be jeopardized if the prioritization list is not followed.

The Philippines has fully vaccinated 4.5% or 3.2 million of its 70 million target population for COVID-19 as of July 8. — DVM, GMA News