Duterte wants the entire Philippine population vaccinated for COVID-19
16 October, 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday (Oct 14) his government gets the money to procure coronavirus vaccines but he'd need more as he really wants to inoculate the country's entire population.
The government aims to get vaccines to all or any Filipinos, which Duterte said now number around 113 million, but priority will be given to the poor, the authorities and military personnel.
"All must have the vaccine without exception," Duterte said in a late-night televised address.
The firebrand leader repeated that he prefers COVID-19 vaccine supplies to result from either Russia or China. Both have submitted applications to conduct clinical trials for their inoculations in the Philippines.
"For me, either China or Russia, I am ok," Duterte said.
Aside from China's Sinovac Biotech and Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute, the Philippines can be evaluating Johnson & Johnson's Janssen unit's application to conduct Phase 3 trials of its COVID-19 vaccine.
It has had talks with other potential vaccine suppliers, including US drugmaker Pfizer and Moderna.
The Philippines recorded 1,910 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, and 78 more fatalities, bringing the full total in the country to 346,536 cases, the highest in Southeast Asia, and 6,449 deaths.
It has been gradually reopening the economy to permit more businesses to resume operations and more people to return to work, but partial restrictions around the capital Manila remain to keep the virus spread in balance.cna.asia/telegram
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