Berita 24 English - The Philippines is investigating reports that some individuals have been illegally selling COVID-19 shots or vaccine sl...
Berita 24 English - The Philippines is investigating reports that some individuals have been illegally selling COVID-19 shots or vaccine slots for financial gain, officials said Saturday, reminding the public that vaccines are free.
The illicit activity was discovered by law enforcers through social media posts in which sellers advertise vaccine slots for as much as 15,000 pesos ($313), Philippine police chief Guillermo Eleazar said in a statement.
"It is illegal to sell COVID-19 vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorization," Eleazar declared as he directed police to identify and apprehend those responsible for the scam.
The Philippines, which has seen over a million coronavirus infections and nearly 20,000 deaths, has approved for emergency use seven brands of COVID-19 vaccines, including those manufactured by Sinovac Biotech in China and Pfizer/BioNTech in the United States.
"We are requesting that those involved in the unauthorised sale of anti-COVID vaccines cease their activities," the government's coronavirus task force said in a statement. "The long arm of the law will quickly apprehend you."
Since March 1, when the Philippines began its immunization campaign, more than 2.5 million people have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Department of Health data. Both doses have been administered to over 780,000 people.
The Philippines is prioritizing healthcare workers, the elderly, and people with medical conditions in its vaccination campaign, which aims to vaccinate between 50 and 70 million of its 110 million citizens this year.
(1 dollar equals 47.9100 Philippine pesos)
