A Palace official said the Sinopharm booster did not have a negative effect on President Rodrigo Duterte.

"From what we know, it does not cause any bad effect, again this vaccine of President Duterte is something between him and his personal physician. So, Sinopharm is the vaccine used for him," Acting Presidential Spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a television interview on Wednesday.

"We are only going by the statement of the president during his talk to the people where he mentioned that he also got Sinopharm as a booster... Again, we reiterate that this is something between the President and his personal physician," he added.

It can be recalled that recently the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed health experts are still studying appropriate booster shots for individuals who got the first and second doses of Sinopharm.

Nograles said the government is coordinating with the manufacturer of Sinopharm to determine the appropriate booster shot for those who received its first and second doses.

"We are continuously coordinating, asking for additional data and information from the manufacturer of Sinopharm so that as soon as possible the NVOC or National Vaccination Operations Center will be able to advise what booster shot is appropriate for those who completed their two doses of Sinopharm," he said. Robina Asido/DMS