San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora on Monday defended his father, Rep. Ronaldo Zamora’s decision to take two booster shots on top of two COVID-19 vaccine doses he had previously received, saying this was upon the advice of the latter’s doctor.
The older Zamora, speaking in an event in San Juan City, admitted he no longer frequently wears face masks because he was vaccinated for a total of four doses of the COVID-19 vaccine — the first two being Sinopharm jabs, and two more vaccine jabs recently.
“Ang masasabi ko lang sa inyo, yung naging vaccination ni Congressman Ronny Zamora ay upon doctor’s orders,” said the younger Zamora, who was a guest at Malacañang’s briefing.
(What I can tell you is that Congressman Ronny Zamora’s vaccination was upon doctor’s orders.)
“Siya po kasi ay na-quadruple bypass six years ago, na-kidney transplant six years ago, he is immunocompromised, he is a person with comorbidity and he’s 76 years old. So ang doctor ho niya ang nagbigay ng orders po diyan. Yun po ang direction ng kanyang physician,” he went on.
(He underwent quadruple bypass six years ago, he had a kidney transplant six years ago, he is immunocompromised, he’s a person with comorbidity and he’s 76 years old. It was the doctor that gave that order. That was the direction of his physician.)
Sinopharm, the same vaccine administered on President Rodrigo Duterte, was only issued an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration last June.
But the congressman said he received his Sinopharm doses in December last year, six months before the vaccine was approved for use in the country.