By Alec Go
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has once again told individuals doubting the benefit of COVID-19 vaccines that their hesitance could put other people at risk.
Duterte brought up the problem on COVID-19 transmission during his televised speech on Thursday night (April 15), saying that there are many people who want to stay healthy, but could be at risk of getting infected due to the reluctance of others to get vaccinated.
“May mga iba diyan na ayaw talaga magbakuna. Eh ‘di okay na lang ‘yan sa akin. Ang problema kung makahawa ka [There are other who do not want to get vaccinated. That is fine with me. The problem is you can infect others],” he pointed out.
“Mamatay ka na kung gusto mo limang beses. Ang problema ang mahawa mo. Iyang ayaw pang mamatay, gusto pang magpasyal sa Luneta…ikaw kung nagsawa ka na sa buhay… gawin mo ‘yan [You can die five times if you wish to. The problem is those you will infect. They do not want to die yet, and they still want to visit Luneta. If you are bored with life…then you can do so],” he added.
The President admitted the current shortage of vaccine supply, but assured that the government has enough resources for COVID-19 beds and other material resources amid the current surge of cases.
“Hindi naman tayo talagang walang-wala eh do [We are not totally bereft of resources]. We are not really at a total loss of what to do. We know what to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez reported during the same briefing that several government agencies are now in talks with pharmaceutical companies that “can possibly start a commercializing and manufacturing of vaccines in the country.” – jlo
