The City Health Officer of Parañaque City explained that actor Mark Anthony Fernandez was on the quick substitution list so he was injected with the COVID-19 vaccine. President Rodrigo Duterte, ordered to investigate the incident.
In a report by Mariz Umali on GMA News “24 Oras” on Wednesday, Dra. Olga Virtusio of the Parañaque City Health Office said Mark Anthony Fernandez was on the quick substitution list so he was given the vaccine immediately, even though it was not on the priority list of those who should be given the medicine.
Currently, medical health workers are the priority in vaccination because the supply of medicine is still limited.
Mark Anthony Fernandez was allegedly vaccinated on Monday.
“Na-consider siya Mariz dun sa kaniyang ano… kasi may tinake [take] siyang for a while hypertensive itong batang ito,” said Virtusio.
“On Lozartan siya for a year or so and being monitored on that. Pero on that day, reading-ready siyang magpabakuna at siguro nag-apply siya at naisama siya do’n sa quick substitution list natin,” the doctor said.
Earlier, Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III did not hide his disappointment when he learned that Fernandez was injected with the COVID-19 vaccine even though he was not on the priority list.
Mark Anthony Fernandez allegedly in vaccination quick substitution list
“Meron tayong priority list na dapat i-implement. May programa na sinusunod diyan,” he insisted.
On Wednesday night, President Duterte ordered an investigation into the vaccination incident on a person he called “a celebrity’s son.”
According to Duterte, the conditions set by the World Health Organization in relation to the list of those to be vaccinated must be followed.
WHO is among the providers of free vaccines in the Philippines under the COVAX facility program.
“Hindi nasunod, yung iba balita ko naibigay sa mga anak ng artista, at iba pa, the favored few always,” the president said.
“Dapat sundin natin kasi sinabi sa atin ng country representative ng WHO if we don’t follow the list of priority, we might lose the assistance of WHO. It was made clear to us,” he added.