THE Department of Health (DOH) has acted pro-actively to prevent the local resurgence of COVID-19, following its official announcement that the COVID subvariant FE.1 has had its first case in the Philippines.
At the launching of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination campaign at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City last Wednesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. renewed calls for Filipinos to be vaccinated and update their booster shots against the coronavirus disease to ensure their protection.
Fighting the coronavirus through mass vaccination is science-based, and the Chief Executive assured Filipinos that the government will continue to use science-based strategies and a whole-of-society approach in fighting the coronavirus and addressing the pandemic.
“We must not let our guard down. Although the rest of society, the other sectors of our society have tried to move on and say the emergency is over, and certainly in a way we can say that that is the case. However, it is not over completely. And that is why we should not be complacent and that is why we institute programs like this which continue to seek to protect our vulnerable populace, our vulnerable sectors of our populace,” the President said.
The President’s reference to science is notable because even at this penultimate stage of fighting the COVID pandemic, some people here and abroad still harbor the idea that vaccines are either ineffective, not needed or worse, cause dangerous health risks.
‘Marcos and Herbosa have called for an even greater cooperation in the government’s inoculation campaign, and we believe this call deserves everyone’s support.’
It is good to hear from the new Health Secretary, Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, and the President their assurances that the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters will not benefit only the recipient but also his/her family and the general public.
Never mind the idea that getting the vaccines and booster shots is tantamount to showing gratitude to scientists, vaccine manufacturers, and healthcare workers who have helped bring the “world … to a state of normalcy.” People today just do not make much of showing gratitude to movers of development but stoking their interest in vaccination for personal benefit is enough.
The vaccination drive in Quezon City was also an opportune time for the President to thank the Republic of Lithuania for its donation of 390,000 doses of bivalent vaccines through the World Health Organization (WHO) and the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX). The WHO and COVAX have been providing assistance to the Philippines during and after the pandemic. The bivalent vaccines are meant as third booster for healthcare workers (listed as A1 in the COVID-19 vaccine priority list) and senior citizens (A2), who received their second booster four to six months earlier.
The statistics on vaccine utilization in the country shows continuing healthy increases, with data from the Department of Health reporting that 674,471 healthcare workers and 970,020 senior citizens have received their second booster shots. Overall, the official numbers showed 78.44 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated while 23.81 million have received booster shots.
Marcos and Herbosa have called for an even greater cooperation in the government’s inoculation campaign, and we believe this call deserves everyone’s support.
