Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as the country battles one of Asia’s worst outbreaks, with a cumulative total of quite 1.3 million cases and 23,000 deaths.

  • “You choose, vaccine, or I will have you jailed,” Duterte said in media outlets on Monday following reports of low turnouts at several vaccination sites in the Philippines capital Manila.
  • Duterte’s remarks contradict those of his health officials, who have said that while people are being urged to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, it had been voluntary.
  • “Don’t get me wrong, there is a crisis in this country,” Duterte said. “I’m just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the govt .”
  • Philippine authorities had fully vaccinated 2.1 million people on Sunday, making slow progress towards the government’s target of up to 70 million of the country’s 110 million people.
  • On the other hand, Indonesian health authorities are battling a new surge in coronavirus infections, as the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) reported the highest one-day total, with 14,535 cases confirmed in the 24 hours to Monday.

Meanwhile, US deaths from Covid-19 have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since March last year during the first wave of the pandemic. Data from federal sources also showed the drive to place shots in arms reception approaching an encouraging milestone: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated.