MANILA, Philippines — It is President Rodrigo Duterte’s “personal decision” to keep his vaccination against Covid-19 private, and so, it does not need further explanation, Malacañang said Thursday.
“That’s his personal decision. I don’t think he has to explain,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.
Roque earlier said Duterte will adopt the route taken by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip, who were vaccinated against the new coronavirus privately.
READ: Duterte okay to get Covid-19 vaccine but in private, says Palace
The President, in August 2020, said he is willing to become the first recipient of the Covid-19 vaccine to prove its efficacy and safety to the public.
But Duterte changed tone last week, saying medical frontliners will be prioritized in the inoculation and government officials will be last to receive the jab.
A recent Pulse Asia survey showed that nearly half of Filipinos do not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 due to safety concerns.