Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (Photo: AFP/VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on October14 that the government has the money to procure coronavirus vaccines but hewould need more as he wants to inoculate the country’s entire population,Reuters reported.
The government aims toget vaccines to all Filipinos, which Duterte said now number around 113million, but priority will be given to the poor, the police and militarypersonnel.
“All should have the vaccine without exception,” Duterte said in a late-nighttelevised address.
He said he preferred COVID-19 vaccine supplies to come from either Russia orChina. Both have submitted applications to conduct clinical trials for theirinoculations in the Philippines.
Apart from China’s Sinovac Biotech and Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute,the Philippines is also evaluating Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit’sapplication to conduct Phase 3 trials of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The Philippines recorded 1,910 new coronavirus infections on October 12, and 78more fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 346,536 cases, thehighest in Southeast Asia, and 6,449 deaths.
It has been graduallyreopening the economy to allow more businesses to resume operations and morepeople to go back to work, but partial restrictions in and around the capitalManila remain to keep the virus spread in check./.
VNA
