Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Filipinos who would avail of free COVID-19 vaccines from the government should not be “picky” when it comes to what brand they would receive.
“Totoo po, meron tayong lahat na karapatan para sa mabuting kalusugan pero hindi naman po pwede na pihikan dahil napakaraming Pilipino na dapat turukan,” Roque said in a televised Palace press briefing.
(It is true that we all have the right to good health but we cannot afford to be picky because there are so many Filipinos who need to be injected.)
Those who are in priority areas who do not want to get the COVID-19 vaccine need to sign a waiver that they refused to get the free vaccine.
“Wala pong pilian, wala kasing pilitan. Pero magsa-sign ka ng waiver na hindi ka nagpaturok at kapag ikaw ay may prayoridad, siyempre mawawala ang prayoridad mo, sasama ka sa the rest ng taumbayan na naghihintay ng bakuna,” Roque said.
(People cannot choose the brand, they cannot be forced to be inoculated. But they will have to sign a waiver that they did not want to be injected and when you have a priority, of course, you will lose your priority, you will join the rest of the people who are waiting for the vaccine.)
Roque to Filipinos: Don’t be ‘picky’ with COVID-19 vaccine brands
“So tama lang naman po yan, walang pilian kasi hindi naman natin makokontrol talaga kung ano ang darating at libre po ito,” he added.
(It’s only right because we really cannot choose which vaccine will arrive first, and this is free.)
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that the national government secured some 25 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese firm Sinovac.
“We sealed the deal with Sinovac for 25 million with early 50,000 doses by February, 950,000 by March, and 2 to 3 million in succeeding months ’til December with 25 million doses. This is in addition to AstraZeneca as confirmed by Sec. Galvez,” he was quoted as saying in a report by Mai Bermudez on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.
The Philippines has also secured 2.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from British drugmaker AstraZeneca and 30 million doses of Indian-made Covovax vaccine.