MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has renewed calls for Filipinos to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as their way of protecting the vulnerable sector.
Marcos underscored the importance of the government’s vaccination
program to protect those with comorbidities and the elderly. He said getting
the COVID-19 vaccine is not only good for the one who received it, but is also
good for the protection of one’s family and the general public.
“So, 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 is the case. However, it is not
over completely,” he said.
“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, (the) vulnerable sectors of our populace and that particular
demographic in this case is that of the elderly,” he added.
Marcos also urged the Filipinos to honor the scientists, manufacturers
and healthcare workers who have dedicated their lives to coming up with the
vaccines against COVID-19 and taking care of those who caught the virus.
“We certainly owe a debt as well to our vaccine manufacturers, our
scientists, our healthcare workers, and everyone who gave so much, so that the
world could return to a state of normalcy,” he said.
Marcos assured the public that the government is using science-based
strategies and a whole-of-society approach in administering the COVID-19
vaccines to those who remain unvaccinated.
He ordered Health Sec. Ted Herbosa to fortify the efforts to protect the
Filipinos against all health risks as he thanked the local government
officials, the healthcare workers and the national government agencies for
their dedication to serving the people amid the pandemic.
“I urge all of us to remain relentless in our fight against COVID-19 and
all other infectious diseases that threaten the country. As long as we exhibit
discipline, observe cleanliness and practice cooperation, we will overcome the
residual challenges that are still posed by COVID-19 and emerge stronger than
ever as members of a healthy, resilient and productive Philippine society,” he
said.
Marcos thanked the Government of the Republic of Lithuania for their
generosity and their donation of the country’s first batch of bivalent vaccines
as he hopes to further deepen the cooperation between the Philippines and
Lithuania. He also thanked the World Health Organization and the COVID-19
Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) for their continuing assistance to the
Philippines during and after the pandemic.
Records from the Department of Health (DOH) showed that the Philippines
has fully vaccinated 100.44% of the target population and inoculated 30.49% of
the target population with the first booster doses.
With this, the DOH was prompted to continue securing supplies of the
bivalent vaccines in coordination with the COVAX and with other countries to
protect the Filipino people from the virus and prevent its possible resurgence
and transmission.
The DOH has so far received 391,860 doses of Comirnaty
Pfizer-BioNtech-adapted bivalent vaccines from the Government of the Republic
of Lithuania on June 3, which was allocated to all DOH-Centers for Health
Development and the Ministry of Health-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao.
The bivalent vaccines will be given as 3rd booster dose to the priority
groups such as healthcare workers and elderly who are 18 years old and above
and shall be administered in designated health facilities. (Mindanao Examiner)
