Published May 7, 2021, 11:14 AM
The fifth batch of government-procured vaccines from China arrived in the country on Friday morning, May 7, with the delivery of 1.5 million doses of CoronaVac from its manufacturer Sinovac Biotech.
National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Sec. Francisco Duque III witness the arrival of 1.5 million doses of CoronaVac vaccines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City on May 7, 2021. (Photos from the National Task Force Against COVID-19)
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, said this raised the Philippines’ total vaccine supply to 5,540,600 doses.
Published May 5, 2021, 1:44 PM
A member of the country’s vaccine expert panel (VEP) is seeing President Duterte’s decision to receive the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine as a boon for the government’s vaccination program, saying it would encourage more people to get themselves vaccinated.
Dr. Rontgene Solante, chief of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of San Lazaro Hospital, said President Duterte’s gesture could further boost the government’s initiative to inoculate 70 to 80 million Filipinos by end of the year to achieve herd immunity.
President Duterte receives the coronavirus vaccine from Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on May 3, 2021 (Photo: Sen. Go/Facebook)
The government has allocated P22 million for the conduct of eight month-long clinical trials on the use of Ivermectin as a treatment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which will begin in June this year in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said late Wednesday night, May 5
Published May 4, 2021, 4:44 PM
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo got inoculated against the coronavirus disease Tuesday, saying he felt no adverse side effects.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo receives a coronavirus vaccine shot on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 (Photo: Panelo)
Panelo received the first shot of vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm, the same brand used by President Duterte. The Cabinet member was given the shot in his left arm by a health professional at an undisclosed place in Manila.
“No side effects after the jab, and I’m feeling normal,” Panelo said after his vaccination.
Panelo also appealed to the public to get vaccinated once the opportunity comes, saying the vaccine can help boost their protection against the coronavirus illness.
SunStar Duterte hails Duque as ‘hero’
MANILA. President Rodrigo Duterte and Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. (Photos from Presidential Communications)
+ May 04, 2021 WHILE others heaped criticisms on Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III, President Rodrigo Duterte hailed him as the “hero” behind the government’s pandemic response. Compared with other countries, which is not really the time to do comparisons, but we are doing good in the fight against Covid and Secretary Duque is the hero here, Duterte said in a televised public briefing Monday evening, May 3, 2021.
Duterte made the remark as Duque presented a situation report on the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) epidemic in the country.