President Rodrigo Duterte, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, may be entitled to use the Sinopharm vaccine under a “compassionate use” permit, according to Malacanang Palace.
While it has no emergency use authorization (EUA) yet from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Sinopharm was granted compassionate use license in February for the Presidential Security Group
AFTER a long wait, President Rodrigo Duterte has finally taken the ultimate step and had himself vaccinated against Covid-19, hoping that he will set an example for the rest of the population who were still having second thoughts about getting inoculated against the virus.
In a Facebook post, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go showed pictures of the President being inoculated by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
"I feel good and I have been expecting this shot, vaccination a long time ago," the President said in a video uploaded on Go’s Facebook page.
Duterte also said he was vaccinated with the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.
While it has no emergency use authorization (EUA) yet from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Sinopharm was granted compassionate use license in February for the Presidential Security Group.
"His first dose was covered by the compassionate use permit issued to the PSG by the FDA," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque later clarified.
Malacanang earlier said that Duterte, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, may be entitled to use the Sinopharm vaccine under the said permit.
Sinopharm said in December that the Beijing Institute vaccine was 79 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 diseases but it did not elaborate on the results or publish trial data.
The product has been approved for general use in the United Arab Emirates and for emergency use in Argentina, Nepal, Egypt, Pakistan and Peru.
"Pumayag dok nya," Go said in a text message to reporters, referring to Duterte, who now joins leaders of Hungary, Pakistan, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates who, according to media reports, received Sinopharm's vaccine product.
Last year, Duterte said he preferred vaccines from China or Russia, as he alleged that Western drug groups were profiting from the coronavirus pandemic. (ONT)
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