President Duterte eyed crackdown on vaccine irregularities and “fake” swab tests.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday eyed crackdown on COVID-19 vaccine irregularities and “fake” swab tests in the Philippines.
In a report on CNN Philippines, President Duterte said that he would order the military and police to arrest those behind unauthorized purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and “fake” swab tests.
President Duterte said in his speech at the inauguration of Dumaguete City’s Port Operations Building that he would ask medical experts why some COVID-19 swab tests still yield “false positive” and “false negative” results.
The Philippine government considered the Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test as the “gold standard” in confirming the presence of COVID-19, but health experts have explained that some factors could affect the results — including the timing.
Those who get swabbed on the day they’re infected were likely to test negative because there weren’t enough viral particles yet.
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President Duterte went on to warn that those behind fraudulent swab testing services would be arrested, as well as those who would illegally purchase COVID-19 vaccines.
“I have to order the police and military to find out and arrest these people at saka iyang nagpapabili ng bakuna. ‘Pag nahuli ka, patawag kita sa Malacañang,” President Duterte said.
Only the Philippine government can procure COVID-19 vaccines to date, but the private sector can do so via tripartite agreements with the pharmaceutical company and the state.
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