Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly threatened people who refuse to get inoculated with jail or an injection of Ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug widely used to treat animals.
Frustrated by the slow pace of Covid-19 vaccinations in his country, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly threatened people who refuse to get inoculated with jail or an injection of Ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug widely used to treat animals.
Though US and European regulators and the World Health Organization (WHO) have recommended against it, Ivermectin has been touted as an alternative treatment for Covid-19.
Following reports of low turnout at several vaccination sites in the capital Manila, in a televised address late on Monday, Duterte said: “You choose, vaccine or I will have you jailed.”
“Go to India if you want or somewhere to America. But for as long as you are here and you are a human being, and can carry the virus, get vaccinated.”
“Otherwise, I will order all the village captains to have a tally of the people who refuse to be vaccinated. Because if not, I will have Ivermectin meant for pigs injected into you.”
“Don’t get me wrong, there is a crisis in this country,” Duterte said. “I’m just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government.”
Phillipines, with 1.3 million cases, has been fighting one of the toughest Covid-19 epidemic in Asia. However, as of June 20, just 2.1 million people had been fully vaccinated of the 70 million people targeted for this year.
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