Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (SCREEN GRAB/SENATE PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III accepted the challenge of a senator to be among the first to receive the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to ensure its safety, adding that he would encourage other government officials to do the same.
“Yes, definitely. That’s a no brainer. I’ll take it for as long as it has undergone the scientific evaluation by the DOST’s vaccine experts panel and the ethics board review and the FDA’s (Food and Drug Administration) own technical and regulatory evaluation,” Duque said in an interview onABS-CBN News Channel on Monday.
He also said he would be willing to be vaccinated even if a vaccine had only undergone an emergency authorization by the FDA.
FILE PHOTO: Small bottles labelled with “Vaccine” stickers stand near a medical syringe in front of displayed “Coronavirus COVID-19” words in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
“Yes, sure (I will get vaccinated). No problem. I can also get and encourage all my fellow Cabinet members, all the other officials of government to join me,” Duque added.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go recently challenged Duque and vaccine czar and National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chief Carlito Galvez Jr. to take the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available in the country to allay the fears of some Filipinos regarding its safety and efficacy.
Sen. Bong Go (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)
The government is targeting to inoculate 50 to 60 percent of the country’s population to achieve herd immunity, wherein enough people in a specific area are protected against the infectious disease.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that the government was eyeing to tap P73 billion worth of loans to purchase the COVID-19 vaccines for 60 million people.