Duterte gets Sinopharm vaccine to boost China vaccine trust

Malacañang stated that President Rodrigo Duterte's choice to receive the Sinopharm vaccine aims to increase public trust in vaccines produced in China.

The President was administered the Sinopharm vaccine despite it not yet having an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque highlighted that Duterte opted for a Chinese brand, not a Western one, to build confidence.

This statement comes as the government encourages the public to trust vaccines with EUA, even though the President received one without it.

Currently, Sinovac is the only Chinese-made vaccine with an EUA in the Philippines, though it lacks World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use listing (EUL).

In contrast, Sinopharm has already received EUL from the WHO.

The Philippines has secured approximately five million doses of Sinovac vaccines, some of which were donations from the Chinese government and others purchased by the national government.