Duterte Threatens to Inoculate Sleeping Filipinos with COVID Vaccine

Marielle Lucenio and Jojo Riñoza
2021.10.12
Manila
Duterte Threatens to Inoculate Sleeping Filipinos with COVID Vaccine A Filipina receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-through vaccination clinic in Manila, Aug. 6, 2021.
Basilio Sepe/BenarNews

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, in a late-night speech, threatened to have Filipinos forcibly inoculated against COVID-19 in their sleep if they were reluctant to receive vaccinations, but the presidential palace later brushed off the comments as a “joke.”

In remarks made during a televised cabinet meeting on Monday evening, Duterte expressed frustration over the spread of COVID-19, which has infected more than 2.6 million Filipinos since the pandemic began.

“I know a lot of people do not want to be vaccinated,” Duterte said. “That is the problem, those who refuse vaccination.”

The president called for village officials to scour neighborhoods for people refusing to be vaccinated. 

“Let’s enter their homes while they are sleeping and inoculate them,” he said. “I will lead the journey.” 

Duterte insisted that everyone who is eligible for vaccines be inoculated. He said it was their “civic duty to protect others and also allow us to turn the page to get everyone back on track to normalcy.” 

Duterte appeared to be serious in his comments. But he was asked on Tuesday about Duterte’s comments, presidential spokesman Harry Roque described them as a “joke only.” 

This was not the first time the president, whose six-year term ends in 2022, has made controversial statements or threats.

In June, he caused a stir when he threatened Filipinos who refused to be inoculated to leave the country.

At the time, Roque, a former human rights lawyer, said Duterte could compel compulsory vaccinations if supported by legislation. 

50 million doses

The Philippines has delivered at least 50 million shots of COVID-19 vaccine, according to statistics. In Metropolitan Manila, the nation’s coronavirus epicenter, about 77 percent of 7.5 million people have been fully vaccinated. 

Still, disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University listed the Philippines as the seventh nation hardest hit by the virus based on more than 426,000 COVID-19 infections – an average of more than 15,000 cases per day – over the previous 28 days.

The nation tops Malaysia, ninth, and Thailand, 10th, on the list while Indonesia, which for months had topped Southeast Asian nations in terms of infections, is listed as 30th with more than 58,464 infections over the last four weeks.

Citing health statistics, Duterte emphasized that the country’s weekly average of COVID-19 cases had dropped in recent weeks. The government recorded 8,615 infections on Tuesday, driving the seven-day average to about 10,000.

“The challenge is now to further speed up our vaccination rollout, especially in the provinces, in the key cities and municipalities to achieve our target of at least 50 percent of the country’s target population by the end of the year,” Duterte said during his address.

He noted that some children between the ages of 12 and 17 would receive vaccinations during a test program in selected capital-region hospitals.

“If we continue to ramp up the vaccination of our people, along with our consistent practice of wearing a mask, washing hands and avoidance, and the gradual resumption of economic activities, then we can hope for a better and truly merry Christmas,” Duterte said.

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COMMENTS

Marc
Oct 13, 2021 02:49 AM

Globalist scums paid these stooges off fer to push fer the stabbing medicine we need to call them our as what they are