Duterte, who was able to get the Sinopharm jab via a compassionate use permit despite the drug not yet being approved, has since asked the Chinese embassy to return 1,000 unused doses that were donated by Beijing.
Following criticism, Duterte told Filipinos, “Don’t follow my steps.”
“It’s dangerous because there are no studies, it might not be good for the body. Just let me be the sole person to receive it.”
“Let’s just pull them out (of the country), so that there’s no issue,” Duterte said of the Sinopharm doses still in the country.
“What was injected in me, it’s the decision of my doctor and all things said, this is my life,” the controversial leader said, before accepting the criticism levelled at him.
“We are sorry for the things you are criticizing us for, we accept responsibility,” he said. “We are sorry, you are right, we are wrong.”
Duterte mentioned that China should only send Sinovac jabs in future, which have been approved by relevant Philippine authorities.
The efficacy of China-made vaccines has been questioned since their trial data lacks transparency. The CCP’s cover-up of domestic vaccine-related deaths has also heightened public concern.
A Chinese netizen with the username Shan Xia Hua Yi Zi revealed that her 28-year-old brother, a border police officer in Shenzhen city in China’s southern Guangdong province, died on April 15 after taking two Sinopharm shots respectively on Jan. 11 and Feb. 8, according to NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.
After she posted online about her brother’s death online, she received a call from her brother’s employer and the local Futian Health Authority who warned her against the negative impact her posts might create. She then found her posts had been deleted without notice.