Several Chinese nationals were vaccinated on Wednesday against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the city of Pasay.
In a media statement, Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano said the vaccinated Chinese are legitimate residents of Pasay City and belong to the priority categories of senior citizens (A2) or persons with comorbidities (A3).
He said they went through the appropriate process where they showed a barangay certificate and medical certificate to receive the vaccine.
The mayor also ensured that the documents of the vaccinated foreigners were thoroughly checked and even underwent interviews at vaccination sites.
“These individuals, like all the other people who got vaccinated, passed through the normal process, and during their registration, they submitted their Barangay Certificates and Medical Certificates indicating that they were residents of the city and they belonged to either the A2 or A3 groups,” he said.
According to information from the Public Information Office in Pasay, some of the vaccinated foreigners are businessmen who are members of the Pasay City Chinese Chamber of Commerce and others work in the city.
Calixto-Rubiano, on the other hand, denied that there was VIP treatment for Chinese nationals in vaccination following a post on social media that some Chinese allegedly received the vaccine at vaccination sites in Pasay even though they were not part of the government’s priority group.
However, the mayor still ordered an investigation into the report and promised to make the result of the investigation public.
Meanwhile, vaccine supply in the country remains limited, with only 3 million vaccinated – far short of the 70 million target for herd immunity. Most of the vaccine in the country is from Sinovac of China.
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