Coronavirus: Philippine mayors accused of vaccine queue-jumping; India curbs delay supply of jabs
- President Duterte said that aside from the mayors, the son of an actress also got immunised
- Elsewhere, export restrictions in India are causing significant delays in the worldwide distribution of Covid-19 vaccines
Duterte said in a televised meeting on Wednesday night with key Cabinet members that aside from the mayors, the son of an actress also got immunised. He expressed fears that the country may lose the chance to get more donated vaccines arranged by the World Health Organization (WHO) if its conditions would continue to be violated.
“We were told by the WHO country representative, ‘if you do not follow the list of priority, you might lose the assistance of the WHO’,” Duterte said. “It wasn’t followed because I heard even the son of an actress got it. It’s always the favoured few.”
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told Duterte that just slightly more than 508,000 of a total 1.7 million doctors, nurses and other health workers had been immunised, and added that only 1.5 million vaccine doses, all donated by China and the WHO, had arrived in the country so far.
The government programme to inoculate about 70 million adult Filipinos has faced delays, supply problems, public hesitancy and widespread criticism. After health workers, the next in line of priority include elderly Filipinos and people with non-coronavirus illnesses like diabetes and the poor.
The Philippine health ministry on Thursday recorded 8,773 new coronavirus cases, its highest single-day increase.