Duterte asks US for more COVID-19 vaccines

President Rodrigo Duterte has asked the United States to make its COVID-19 vaccines available to the Philippines amid the lack of vaccine supply and the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country.

"I am just asking America to give us more kung mayroon lang sila. I know na 'we first before you.' We understand it and we accept it but if there is an excess of supply, pakitulong naman dito sa amin," Duterte said in his weekly address to the nation early Tuesday.

"We have the money. We buy. We do not ask," the president added.

The government has so far been dealing with a less than adequate supply of COVID-19 jabs to inoculate 70% percent of the country's population.

The Philippines started its COVID-19 vaccination program last March 1.
The country has so far inoculated over 12 million individuals.

Vaccine brands delivered to the Philippines to date include Moderna, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sputnik V.

Cases of COVID-19 in the country reached 1,755,846 with 1,618,808 recoveries and 30,366 deaths.—LDF,GMA News