PH may return to normalcy in 2023
Duterte, Lorenzana, Duque won’t take Sinovac vaccine
After the Philippines received its first supply of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, Filipinos may expect to return to normalcy by 2023. President Duterte made the statement as the government rolls out its vaccination program against the disease with the arrival of 600,000 CoronaVac shots donated by the Chinese government to the Philippines on Sunday, Feb. 28.
In a press conference in Pasay City, Duterte predicted that the Philippines may return to its pre-pandemic state only by 2023.
“In about maybe early – mga year 20 – year ’23, not the ’22,” he said.
“Early in the first – maybe [the] first or second quarter of year 23, 2023, baka sa tulong ng Diyos (maybe by the grace of God),” he added.
President Duterte said the
government will not dilly-dally in distributing the first batch of CoronaVac vaccines to the public. CoronaVac is manufactured by Chinese drug maker Sinovac.
“Ito ngayon hanggang katapusan ng buwan, paspasan tayo (From today until the end of the month, we will speed things up),” he said.
President Duterte has ordered all concerned agencies to ensure the timely rollout of the CoronaVac shots, saying the country cannot waste time and resources in the distribution of the vaccines since it concerns the lives of Filipinos.
“As we prepare for the distribution, I am directing all concerned agencies to institutionalize the whole-of-government approach in its rollout,” he said.
“I cannot stress enough: We cannot waste time or resources in the distribution of these vaccines because we are dealing with precious lives,” he added.
The government is aiming to vaccinate at least 50 million Filipinos against COVID-19 this year.
For ‘self-preservation’
But President Duterte won’t be among the first to get the Sinovac vaccine donated by China.
The President said he is willing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus for “self-preservation” but will still wait for the arrival of another brand in the country.
Even as he welcomed the arrival of the country's first supply of Sinovac vaccines from China at the Manila airport Sunday, the President bared that his doctor has advised him to take another brand of the coronavirus vaccine given his old age.
The 75-year-old Duterte did not mention the vaccine brand but the Palace previously said the President prefers to take the other Chinese-developed vaccine, Sinopharm. Duterte turns 76 on March 28.
No Sinovac vaccine for Lorenzana, Duque
Likewise, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III will not take the Sinovac vaccine.
Due to a number of reasons that are apparently out of his control, Lorenzana disclosed Sunday night, Feb. 28, that he will not be inoculated with the Sinovac Biotech-made CoronaVac vaccine.
Lorenzana, chair of the National Action Plan (NAP) on COVID-19, made the revelation after top government officials welcomed the delivery of 600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines donated by the Chinese government to the country. Of
these, 100,000 doses were allotted to the Department of National Defense (DND) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“I wanted to be the first to receive the Sinovac vaccine in the DND to build trust and confidence among [the] personnel but health experts advised that those over 59 should not be vaccinated,” said the 72-year-old Lorenzana in a tweet.
“If it weren't for age restrictions, I'd be the first to take the shots,” he added.
On Sunday, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said that Duque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. will get their anti-COVID-19 shots using the Sinovac vaccine.
However, this was denied by the DOH in a message sent to reporters also on Sunday night. The DOH said Duque will not be vaccinated due to his age. The Health chief is 64-years-old.
“FTD (Francisco T. Duque) will not be vaccinated with Sinovac as EUA (emergency use authorization) provisions exclude 60 and above,” the DOH said.
“He also underscores that we will follow the prioritization framework, and will ensure that limited doses will go to the HCWs (healthcare workers) first,” it added. (With reports from Genalyn Kabiling, Martin Sadongdong, and Analou de Vera)