PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday told Filipinos not to get more than two doses of vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), saying receiving "multiple" shots is "dangerous" and it would also mean depriving other Filipinos of the jab.
Duterte rejected the administration of the third dose of Covid-19 vaccine among fully-vaccinated individuals as he expressed dismay that there are some who are still not satisfied with getting the two vaccine doses.
"You know there are people really who are not contented or hindi sila kampante sa (not confident about) second or third [Covid-19 vaccine] shot," he said in his pre-recorded public address.
"It is not good. Iyong iba kasi nag... nagpapaano eh sigurista (Others want to feel secure). But any doctor would tell you that it is bad, bad as bad. Biruin mo, i-inject mo ang marami (Imagine, you want multiple vaccine shots)," the President added.
He said receiving more than the two recommended doses could pose health risks since it could raise antibodies to dangerous levels, and the "dead virus" used in the vaccine can be "resurrected."
"Tama na 'yang dalawang doses. Huwag ninyong sobrahan. Delikado (Two doses are enough. Do not get multiple shots. It's dangerous)," Duterte pointed out.
"Merong iba, may second, third, fourth, fifth. Hindi naman kailangan (Others have a second, third, fourth, fifth vaccine dose. It's not needed). And it does not add really to the full protection of your body. You can even get contaminated again," he said.
The President also said that those who are getting more than two doses are depriving their fellow Filipinos, who are yet to receive a dose, of their vaccines.
"Alam mo (You know), when you do that, multiple [doses], hindi ka magsabi ng totoo (you will not tell the truth); you deprive your countrymen, the others na hindi pa sa isang bakuna na maibigay doon sa kapwa mo tao (who have yet to get vaccinated)," he added.
Duterte then called on fully vaccinated individuals to care for others who are yet to receive the Covid-19 vaccine jabs.
"Akala mo (You think), in your poor judgment, kailangan mo pa ng tatlo, apat (you need three or four doses). You deprive the others maski na sabihin mo isa, dalawa (even if you get one or two additional shots). There are a lot of Filipinos who are yet to receive the vaccine. Kindly be so passionate about it, sa kapwa mo tao (your fellow Filipinos)," he said.
The President made the statement as the government is set to expand the coverage of the Covid-19 vaccination program to the general population and minors with comorbidities.
The talk on booster shots began when the Covid-19 Delta variant hit the country, and there were reports that antibodies developed by the China-made vaccines "wane" after about six months.
The Philippines is not yet giving booster shots, but the country's Vaccine Experts Panel has recommended the administration of the shots to health workers to give them additional protection, especially with the presence of the more contagious Delta and other variants.
The World Health Organization has called for a moratorium on giving out Covid-19 booster shots until the end of 2021 since millions of individuals worldwide are yet to receive a single dose.
As of Wednesday, a total of 45,147,577 Covid-19 vaccine doses had been administered in the Philippines.
Around 21,103,317 individuals have already been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while 24,044,260 others have received the first shot of the vaccine.
The country has received more than 71 million Covid-19 vaccine doses.
Of this number, around 46 million doses were purchased by the government, 16 million doses were coursed through the Covax Facility, 5 million doses were purchased by local government units and more than 3.6 million doses were donated by other countries.
The President expressed hope that the number of fully vaccinated individuals will rise to around 25 million by October.
"Major cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao have reached the 34-percent mark in terms of fully-vaccinated individuals, and several have almost reached 50 percent. The percentage of partially vaccinated individuals in various regions follows closely, and we hope that this will increase in the coming weeks and months ahead," he said.
Duterte rejected the administration of the third dose of Covid-19 vaccine among fully-vaccinated individuals as he expressed dismay that there are some who are still not satisfied with getting the two vaccine doses.
"You know there are people really who are not contented or hindi sila kampante sa (not confident about) second or third [Covid-19 vaccine] shot," he said in his pre-recorded public address.
"It is not good. Iyong iba kasi nag... nagpapaano eh sigurista (Others want to feel secure). But any doctor would tell you that it is bad, bad as bad. Biruin mo, i-inject mo ang marami (Imagine, you want multiple vaccine shots)," the President added.
He said receiving more than the two recommended doses could pose health risks since it could raise antibodies to dangerous levels, and the "dead virus" used in the vaccine can be "resurrected."
"Tama na 'yang dalawang doses. Huwag ninyong sobrahan. Delikado (Two doses are enough. Do not get multiple shots. It's dangerous)," Duterte pointed out.
"Merong iba, may second, third, fourth, fifth. Hindi naman kailangan (Others have a second, third, fourth, fifth vaccine dose. It's not needed). And it does not add really to the full protection of your body. You can even get contaminated again," he said.
The President also said that those who are getting more than two doses are depriving their fellow Filipinos, who are yet to receive a dose, of their vaccines.
"Alam mo (You know), when you do that, multiple [doses], hindi ka magsabi ng totoo (you will not tell the truth); you deprive your countrymen, the others na hindi pa sa isang bakuna na maibigay doon sa kapwa mo tao (who have yet to get vaccinated)," he added.
Duterte then called on fully vaccinated individuals to care for others who are yet to receive the Covid-19 vaccine jabs.
"Akala mo (You think), in your poor judgment, kailangan mo pa ng tatlo, apat (you need three or four doses). You deprive the others maski na sabihin mo isa, dalawa (even if you get one or two additional shots). There are a lot of Filipinos who are yet to receive the vaccine. Kindly be so passionate about it, sa kapwa mo tao (your fellow Filipinos)," he said.
The President made the statement as the government is set to expand the coverage of the Covid-19 vaccination program to the general population and minors with comorbidities.
The talk on booster shots began when the Covid-19 Delta variant hit the country, and there were reports that antibodies developed by the China-made vaccines "wane" after about six months.
The Philippines is not yet giving booster shots, but the country's Vaccine Experts Panel has recommended the administration of the shots to health workers to give them additional protection, especially with the presence of the more contagious Delta and other variants.
The World Health Organization has called for a moratorium on giving out Covid-19 booster shots until the end of 2021 since millions of individuals worldwide are yet to receive a single dose.
As of Wednesday, a total of 45,147,577 Covid-19 vaccine doses had been administered in the Philippines.
Around 21,103,317 individuals have already been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while 24,044,260 others have received the first shot of the vaccine.
The country has received more than 71 million Covid-19 vaccine doses.
Of this number, around 46 million doses were purchased by the government, 16 million doses were coursed through the Covax Facility, 5 million doses were purchased by local government units and more than 3.6 million doses were donated by other countries.
The President expressed hope that the number of fully vaccinated individuals will rise to around 25 million by October.
"Major cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao have reached the 34-percent mark in terms of fully-vaccinated individuals, and several have almost reached 50 percent. The percentage of partially vaccinated individuals in various regions follows closely, and we hope that this will increase in the coming weeks and months ahead," he said.
