Police Gen. Debold Sinas, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said Monday that the vaccine for COVID-19 that was made available to some members of the military has not been officially provided to police personnel.
(Photo by Juan Carlo de Vela / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a press briefing, Sinas said he is not aware that any member of the PNP has been given a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine like what was enjoyed by some soldiers which President Duterte disclosed in his latest meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-MEID).
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commanding general of the Philippine Army, confirmed Monday that there several soldiers have already received the vaccine.
Sinas said he is not aware of any instruction to have some policemen vaccinated.
“I have no information of any policemen who was vaccinated, we are still waiting for any guidance relating to this,” said Sinas.
What he is aware of, according to Sinas, is that policemen would be prioritized in the vaccination since they would be the ones who would escort and provide security in the conduct of mass vaccination.
Duterte has been saying before that soldiers, policemen, medical frontliners, and the poorest of the poor would be prioritized in the vaccination.
Right now, he said, they are in constant coordination with the Food and Drugs Administration in running after people who are either selling or injecting COVID-19 vaccine.
“We are talking with the FDA because these vaccines could be fake and this is dangerous,” said Sinas.
Reports have been circulating that COVID vaccines especially from China are now being sold and administered by some people in the country.