Duterte: Security forces, poor Filipinos to get COVID-19 vaccine first
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants low-income households who are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino cash transfer program to be the first to access the COVID-19 vaccine, which countries are racing to develop.
"Ang mauna, malapit na iyan. Ang China, any day would announce it. Ang mauna sa bakuna, ulitin ko, ay iyong mga tao na nasa listahan ng gobyerno na tumatanggap ng Pantawid. Ito iyong mga — mga mahirap," the president said during a meeting of the pandemic task force last Monday in Davao City. The address was aired Tuesday morning.
(The first... and that is soon. China would announce it any day. The first to get the vaccine, I repeat, are those on the government list to receive the Pantawid. These are the poor.)
The next ones to be innoculated are poor people who are not in the list of Pantawid beneficiaries because they have no fixed address, he added.
"Pero ang mauna sa lahat ang mga military pati pulis kasi kung walang pulis pati military, babagsak tayo. Sino mag-guwardiya sa atin?" he also said.
(But the ones who will be first among all are the military and police because without them, we will fall. Who will protect us?)
Duterte expressed hope that the vaccines being developed by other countries would be available soon. He said China may announce the availability of its vaccine "any day." Medicines like Avigan and Remdesivir are already available, he added.
The Department of Health said Monday that clinical trials for Avigan as a treament for COVID-19 may start by September.
"Russia, China, I don't know of anybody, I think the two (countries) will announce that they already have (a vaccine), they are ready and they are willing to help," Duterte said.
Duterte reiterated that he is ready to tap loans to purchase vaccines.
Earlier this month, the 75-year-old president expressed readiness to be the first to try out Russia's vaccine but experts say he is not qualified to join clinical trials because of his age.
On Monday night, he said that he could be the first to get the vaccine "or I can be the last Filipino to get it" so that poor Filipinos will be prioritized.
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