Coronavirus: Philippines’ Duterte to get vaccinated in public; no new cases in New Zealand

The president’s decision is a bid to help allay safety concerns among Filipinos over getting inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine

Elsewhere, New Zealand saw no new cases, raising hopes Auckland’s lockdown will be lifted, and South Korea will buy more vaccines enough for 23 million people

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP

Published: 7:00am, 16 Feb 2021Updated: 5:12pm, 16 Feb 2021

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will receive his anti-Covid-19 injection in public in a bid to allay concerns among Filipinos about the safety of the vaccine, his spokesman said on Monday.

It was earlier announced that Duterte did not want to be inoculated in public because he had planned to get the shot in his buttocks.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that Duterte had changed his mind about having it in public – but Roque did not confirm that Duterte would have the injection in his upper arm as has been usual practice with the coronavirus vaccines.

“The president has said that he will now have himself vaccinated publicly,” Roque said. “He only has to announce when it will be done.”

The Philippines has yet to receive any supply of Covid-19 vaccines, but has been preparing to start vaccination as soon as the shots arrive in the country.

The government is aiming to vaccinate 50 million to 70 million Filipinos for free this year.

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