LOOK: Duterte vaccinated with Sinopharm
President Rodrigo Duterte was vaccinated today, May 3, by Health Secretary Francisco Duque in Malacañang Palace.
Senator Bong Go released photos on his Facebook page, saying the president was inoculated with Sinopharm, a vaccine that has yet to receive emergency use authorization by the Philippine FDA.
Sinopharm is one of China’s four homegrown jabs approved by its regulators.
“Ayon kay Tatay Digong, nagpabakuna siya para hindi lang maprotektahan ang kanyang kalusugan mula sa COVID-19, kundi para rin hikayatin ang ating mga mamamayan na magpabakuna,” Go said in his caption. “Bilang isang senior citizen, kasama siya sa prayoridad na dapat mabakunahan.”
In an apparent change of heart, Duterte allowed himself to be vaccinated in his arm’s deltoid muscle. In January Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the president would be vaccinated in private because he wanted to be jabbed in his buttocks. “Sabi nga niya sa puwet siya magpapasaksak (ng vaccine) so hindi pupuwedeng public," Roque said in a press briefing on Jan. 27.
In Malacañang Palace today, Go looked on as Duque vaccinated the president, and later helped him back into his long-sleeved shirt.
In his post, Go encouraged people to get vaccinated and to support the National Vaccination Program. The Department of Health today logged 9,214 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 1,062,225.