Duterte’s Sinopharm booster allowed by his physician

MANILA – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was allowed to receive the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine as a booster shot because his physician allowed it, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“That’s under the advice of the doctor kasi, so it’s between him and the doctor,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, acting presidential spokesperson, said in a Palace press briefing.

His statement came after the Department of Health (DOH) announced that experts are still studying the appropriate booster shot for individuals inoculated with Sinopharm.

Nograles, however, urged the public to wait for the DOH announcement on the appropriate booster jabs for Sinopharm recipients.

“Tulad ng sinabi ni Usec. Myrna Cabotaje, hinihingi pa po nila ang additional data from Sinopharm para makapagbigay po sila ng advice on ano iyong maaaring (Just like Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, they are still waiting for additional data from Sinopharm so they can give advice on the appropriate) booster shot for those who took Sinopharm,” he added.

Duterte announced in passing that he received his Sinopharm booster in a prerecorded public address on January 6.

He received his first dose of the Sinopharm jab in May 2021 and the second dose in July 2021.

Currently, booster shots may be given at least three months after the second dose of a primary-two dose vaccine or at least two months after the primary single-dose vaccine is given.

The Covid-19 vaccine brands that are currently part of the Philippines’ inventory and have been cleared for emergency use are Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Sputnik V, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen).

Janssen is the sole single-dose vaccine currently approved for use in the country while the rest are two-dose vaccines.