Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. (File photo) ROBINSON NIÑAL/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Wednesday that he would be willing to get the Covid-19 vaccine, being among the people in the health sector included in the list of priorities.
Duque said this during the visit of the Covid-19 Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team in Valenzuela City, adding he will not choose which new coronavirus vaccine he will receive.
“Now the question is, Secretary, kayo ba magpapabakuna ng vaccine A, ito bang Pfizer, ito bang Sinovac, AstraZeneca? Kahit na ano pong bakuna ‘yan magpapabakuna po ako, at tsaka ang pamilya ko papabakunahan ko rin po if it is already their turn,” he said in his message at the event.
(Now the question is, Secretary, will you be inoculated with a vaccine from Pfizer, Sinovac, or AstraZeneca? No matter what vaccine that is, I will get vaccinated against Covid-19. I will also have my family vaccinated against Covid-19 if it is already their turn.)
“Pero ako naman kasi bilang health worker din ay masasama din po ako doon sa mga prioritized sector or groups,” he added.
(But I myself as a health worker, will be included in the prioritized sectors or groups.)
Duque earlier said that healthcare workers, frontliners in certain government agencies, uniformed personnel, indigent citizens, senior citizens, and other vulnerable populations will be among those prioritized for the Covid-19 vaccination program.
The Philippines has so far secured up to 108 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines after signing five-term sheets with different vaccine manufacturers, the chief implementer of the national pandemic action plan and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said.
The country is expecting to receive some 5.6 million Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca within the first quarter of this year. Around 50,000 coronavirus vaccines from Sinovac are also expected to arrive this February.