Strike 2: After touting ivermectin, doctor hit for false info on COVID-19 jabs
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Thursday called out a medical doctor for spreading false information about COVID-19 vaccines, and chided news outlets giving platform to these individuals.
Health officials scolded Dr. Romeo Quijano after he claimed on dZRH that the jabs are "more dangerous" than the virus itself.
"It is especially irresponsible as the country continues to face the threat of the more infectious Delta variant," the agency said in a statement.
The DOH cited growing evidence across the globe that COVID-19 vaccines have significantly reduced hospitalizations and deaths among those who were inoculated.
"Moreover, despite increases in COVID-19 cases in these countries, the same rate of increase is not seen in hospitalizations and deaths," it added.
Quijano made the remarks on August 10 on the "Dos por Dos" program of broadcasters Anthony Taberna and Gerry Baja.
The radio station had uploaded a portion of that interview on Facebook, and the 55-second video now has over 27,000 views and a thousand shares.
But social media users scored both Quijano and dZRH in the comments section of the post. "Disappointed to the team who gave airtime and exposure to this man with 'opinions,'" said one user.
The station would later turn that conversation into an actual news report. It had 1.1 million views, and was shared over 85,600 times, along with 34,500 reactions.
"It is likewise irresponsible for media outlets to allow such professionals to use their platforms to spreada baseless information that stand to harm Filipinos," the DOH said, "especially those who are in the process of deciding to get vaccinated."
A further search on the internet about Quijano shows he was also on the same radio program in April. At the time, he claimed the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin is a safer alternative for fighting COVID-19.
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The claim is in stark contrast to pronouncements by the DOH and even the World Health Organization that there remains no basis to the claim that ivermectin can cure or protect people from COVID-19.
Faculty and staff of UP Medicine's pharmacology and toxicology department have since sought to distance themselves from Quijano's remarks although they did not mention him directly.
In a statement also on Thursday, they said they support "evidence-based approaches" to addressing the pandemic, which includes vaccination.
"Based on our evaluation of the evidence, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks," members said.
The Philippines began inoculating its citizens for COVID-19 in March.
Efforts to get the shots to up to 70 million this year and meet herd immunity have faced struggles, too, such as vaccine hesitancy.
By August 12, government figures showed there are now 12.02 million Filipinos fully vaccinated, while 14.10 million have received their first dose.
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