President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said “good riddance” to those who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying he will not feel bad if they die from respiratory disease.
This was after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said 93 percent of those who died of COVID-19 in the country were unvaccinated.
Individuals who have not been immunized against COVID-19 also account for 85 percent of severe and critical coronavirus cases in the country, Duque reported to the President in a taped public briefing.
“I’m not trying to be morbid, but what’s important for me is that nobody dies. The problem is that our program in fighting the pandemic includes basic protocols and vaccination,” Duterte said.
“So it’s up to you. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I don’t know how many times I have to say the statement, of course, with a warning, that you, our current situation, we are not over the hump. We cannot say that it is finished,” the President added.
Duterte said he does not understand how those who refuse to be vaccinated think.
“I don’t understand why there are people who resist. They just don’t want it. They know, and I really do not understand how they think.
They see those who died, experts, people in the government and the private sector have been talking about the importance of vaccination, but until people realize that once they get sick, once they are in the hospital, those that are in the hospital, they are unvaccinated,” he said.
The President said he won’t feel bad for those who are unvaccinated if they die.
“‘If you die unvaccinated, I’ll tell you, good riddance. You want to die, so be it. Walk around, and if you get contaminated, you will be very sorry for yourself and your family. Especially those who refuse to get vaccinated,” Duterte said.
The Department of Health, in an earlier separate statement, said 77.4 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the country were individuals who were not fully vaccinated.
More than 71 percent of severe and critical cases also have not yet fully received their COVID-19 primary shots, according to the DOH.