‘It’s my life’: Duterte apologizes for getting Sinopharm but insists ‘it’s legal’

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte apologized on Wednesday for getting inoculated with Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine but insisted that it was legal.

“We are sorry that we committed the things that you are criticizing us for. We accept responsibility and I myself had the injection. Well, it’s the decision of my doctor. Anyway, it’s my life,” Duterte said, speaking partly in Filipino, in his pre-recorded briefing.

“What was given was compassionate use, which is really a legal excuse to have the [vaccine]. Compassionate use. That means you can use it out of compassionate [consideration]. The thing is, maybe it’s not acceptable to them. But it’s legal, actually. When the government allowed it to be used for compassionate use, that itself was an authority for people to be injected,” he added.

Duterte was inoculated last Monday, May 3, with the China-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had not issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food for it.

Malacañang said Duterte’s first dose was covered by the compassionate use permit issued by the FDA to the Presidential Security Group.

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