A volunteer reacts as she participates during a Covid-19 vaccination dry run in Taguig last month.
Ramon Tulfo, a celebrity radio and television host and special envoy to China, revealed in his newspaper column on Feb 20 and again in an interview with One News that he received a dose in October from a batch that was also used by President Rodrigo Duterte’s security detail.News last month of Duterte’s bodyguard unit taking the vaccine, which it said was without the president’s knowledge, prompted criticism from lawmakers about privileged access and flouting of laws.
The Food and Drug Administration has not approved use of the Sinopharm vaccine, making its importation and distribution illegal.“We are investigating because it’s not good to learn of these inoculations that did not go through proper procedures,” FDA chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said.