Malacañang said Thursday the Philippines could lose 44 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX facility if the vaccination priority list would not be followed.
“Jumping the line is wrong. Tama na po iyan. Iyong 44 million doses po natin na libre sa COVAX, mawawala kung hindi masusunod iyong priority,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.
(Please stop it. We will lose 44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX if the priority list will not be followed.)
On Wednesday night, President Duterte ordered an investigation into the vaccination incident on a person he called “a celebrity’s son.”
According to Duterte, the conditions set by the World Health Organization in relation to the list of those to be vaccinated must be followed.
WHO is among the providers of free vaccines in the Philippines under the COVAX facility program.
“Hindi nasunod, yung iba balita ko naibigay sa mga anak ng artista, at iba pa, the favored few always,” the president said.
PH will lose 44M doses of vaccine if priority list not followed: Palace
“Dapat sundin natin kasi sinabi sa atin ng country representative ng WHO if we don’t follow the list of priority, we might lose the assistance of WHO. It was made clear to us,” he added.
In Parañaque City, the local government confirmed that actor Mark Anthony Fernandez was vaccinated there.
The city health office explained that there are no more health workers coming to get vaccinated so they took the quick substitution list, where there are the names of those who qualify in the next priority group such as senior citizens and those with comorbidity.
Fernandez is said to belong to the group with comorbidity.
Meanwhile, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered 5 mayors, who vaccinated against COVID-19, to explain why they were inoculated even if they are not included in the priority list.
The DILG identified the mayors as Alfredo Romualdez of Tacloban City; Dibu Tuan of T’boli, South Cotabato; Sulpicio Villalobos of Santo Niño, South Cotabato; Noel Rosal of Legazpi City; and Abraham Ibba of Bataraza, Palawan.