With the new coronavirus variants threatening to derail global recovery from the pandemic, President Duterte has appealed anew to the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The President said he welcomed the fact that more than 3 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated so far, and encouraged others to get inoculated against the virus too.

Duterte made the appeal shortly after getting fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease. He received his second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine before meeting with key government officials involved in the pandemic response at the Palace.

"Health authorities around the world have noticed that the global pandemic recovery is at risk with the rise of new COVID-19 variants. The emergence of new COVID-19 variants like Delta and Lambda are truly cause of concern and the government is closely monitoring our borders for these strains to prevent local transmission," he said during a televised address Monday, July 12.

"Having said that, our best defense is still to be vaccinated as soon as possible," he added.

READ: Duterte now fully vaccinated vs COVID-19

The President also welcomed that more coronavirus vaccines have arrived in the country, citing the recent delivery of 1 million AstraZeneca jabs donated by Japan as well as over 2 million doses given by the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility.

Duterte earlier thanked Japan for the latest donation of coronavirus vaccines, citing the deep friendship between the Philippines and Japan.

He was also grateful for vaccines distributed by COVAX facility, a global vaccine-sharing scheme, to ensure equitable access to the life-saving drug. The Philippine leader had earlier expressed concern that the richest countries have cornered the bulk of the world's vaccine stocks, leaving poor nations to scramble for the remaining supply.

"It is the entity that oversees everything and sees to it that everybody gets the vaccine. It has done a good job, I'd like to congratulate them and thank them for their humanity," he said about the COVAX facility.

With the arrival of more vaccines and the threat posed by new variants, Duterte renewed his appeal to the public to get vaccinated and continue to follow health regulations.

"The life you'll be saving is not only your own but that of your loved ones and the people around you," he said.

"I also appeal to our countrymen to continue observing health protocols so that we can prevent and avoid the spread of COVID-19," he said.

To curb the spread of the coronavirus, more than 13 million doses of coronavirus jabs have been administered since the inoculation drive started last March. The country has already secured more than 20 million doses of coronavirus jabs from suppliers abroad, and expects to get additional supply in the coming months.

As of July 12, the country has recorded 1.4 million cases of coronavirus, including 26,015 deaths.