President Duterte accused European Union of holding AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines hostage.
President Rodrigo Duterte had accused the European Union (EU) of holding AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines hostage.
This, as the President expressed regret that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) didn’t have the same clout as the European Union.
President Duterte made the statement following reports that the European Union introduced a new mechanism that will allow its member-countries to monitor and block exports of COVID-19 vaccines amidst a row with AstraZeneca over vaccine deliveries.
In his weekly public address aired on Monday, President Duterte asked the public to trust the Philippine government that it was doing its best to secure COVID-19 vaccines.
“For all of the brouhaha [of people claiming to have access to vaccines] – Saan (Where is it)? Eh, yung AstraZeneca hinostage ng European Union (Even the European Union took the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as hostage),” President Duterte said.
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In response to this development, the President expressed hope that ASEAN could become as powerful as the European Union someday.
Manila Bulletin reported that the European Commission launched a new mechanism last week that allowed countries to suspend COVID-19 exports.
As per the report, the European Union had voiced concerns that COVID-19 vaccine doses could be sent overseas before firms can even fulfill their obligation in the region.
Meanwhile, Manila Bulletin reported that the subject of a sometimes acrimonious row between the European Union and the United Kingdom, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine had also fuelled debate over the vaccine’s effectiveness among the elderly.
Although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the vaccine for adults of all ages last week, some countries had advised against administering the vaccine to older people.
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