MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has gotten his COVID-19 booster shot, using a jab developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm.

“In his declaration last night, it appears that the President has gotten his booster shot and it was Sinopharm that was used,” said Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Friday, January 7, during a Malacañang press briefing.

Duterte was heard last night vaguely mentioning his booster shot during a meeting with pandemic task force officials. The President did not say when he received his booster shot. Nograles also did not give more details on Friday.

Unlike previous COVID-19 vaccine jabs administered to Duterte, no photos or videos of the administration of his booster shot were released to the public.

Duterte was administered a first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine in May 2021 even if it was not covered by any Philippine emergency use authorization (EUA), prompting critics to say the President was taking shortcuts while his administration told regular Filipinos not to jump the vaccine line.

Duterte’s vaccination was covered only by a compassionate special permit issued for 10,000 Sinopharm doses intended for his security personnel, the Presidential Security Group.

Malacañang later on said that a separate batch of 1,000 Sinopharm doses was donated to the Philippines and that one of those doses was the one Duterte received. The government is currently struggling to convince more Filipinos to get their booster shots.

A month later, in June, the Food and Drug Administration issued an EUA covering the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated to the government. It is not clear if the booster shot Duterte got was part of this donation. Duterte got his second dose last July. – Rappler.com