Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to imprison anyone who refuses to be vaccinated against coronavirus because the country is battling one of the worst outbreaks in Asia.
Duterte commented on Monday after reports of a low turnout at vaccination sites in the Manila capital, according to The Straits Times.
“You choose the vaccine, or I’ll send you to jail,” Duterte said on television.
“Don’t get me wrong, this country is in crisis,” Duterte said. “I’m just annoyed that Filipinos don’t listen to the government,” he added.
Although 1.3 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported to date, 23,749 Filipinos have died from the virus.
As of June 20, approximately 2.1 million people in a country of 110 million had received both doses of the vaccine.