President Rodrigo Duterte wants a probe on the vaccination of actor Mark Anthony Fernandez for being able to skip the vaccine priority list in Paranaque.
“Kayo na bahala mag-imbestiga nito. Kung matapos ito, let the legal office handle or make a report out of that incident, i-diretsyo mo na lang sa Ombudsman,” Duterte ordered Health Secretary Francisco Duque.
The President said that the country must follow its agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to prioritize health workers to be followed by the elderly and those people with comorbidities.
“I gave a list of priority and the ladder kung sino ang mauna. Apparently, this was not complied strictly,” the President said.
Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez on Wednesday defended the inoculation of Fernandez, who isn’t among the first in the COVID-19 vaccine priority line.
Olivarez said that almost all of the city’s frontliners — or “almost 90-95%” — have already been vaccinated.
Fernandez, whom Olivarez said has comorbidity, was part of the quick substitution list.
“’Yung mga vulnerable nating residente ng Parañaque ang binibigyan po natin, second sa ating medical frontliners.
According to our medical team, nung ni-screen si Mark Fernandez, meron syang comorbidity,” Olivarez said.
The Department of Health (DOH) appealed to everyone to follow the priority program.
“Gusto muna natin bakunahan ang vulnerable at at risk from getting COVID… Ang WHO nagbabala na sakali magkakaroon ng breaches sa pinirmahan sa COVAX facility, our future supplies might be compromised. Let us wait for our turn,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
