REUTERS FILE PHOTO
The Department of Health (DOH) condemned a little-known pharmacologist for endangering people’s lives by trying to dissuade people from getting a COVID-19 vaccine that has been scientifically proven to be safe and effective.
“The DOH condemns health professionals who have been spreading false information regarding life-saving interventions such as COVID-19 vaccines,” the DOH said. “It is especially irresponsible as the country continues to face the threat of the more infectious Delta variant.”
The DOH slammed Dr. Romeo Quijano, a retired pharmacologist from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM) for spreading “false information” regarding vaccines and claiming that “influential groups” he did not identify are hiding the true adverse effects and deaths related to vaccines.
In addition to his false claims that vaccines are unsafe, Quijano also came under fire for promoting the veterinary medicine ivermectin as a COVID-19 prophylactic when the global scientific consensus warned against its use.
The health department said there was “a growing number of real-world evidence globally” that consistently show the beneficial effects of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in reducing hospitalizations and deaths.
In a separate statement, the UPCM Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology said it “supports evidence-based approaches to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccination,” and the evidence they have studied shows that the benefits of inoculation far outweigh the risks, if any.