Malacañang reiterated its appeal to the public to continue following the required health protocols and to stay at home if possible following reports of an uptick of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in different areas and the local transmission of the dreaded Delta variant.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement following the report of the Department of Health (DOH) of 12 new local cases of the more virulent Delta variant, bringing to 47 the total number of cases transmitted by it.
In his press briefing on Thursday, July 22, Roque reminded the public of the government's motto "Mask, Hugas, Iwas" or the wearing of face masks, proper handwashing, and physical distancing.
"Doon pa rin po tayo sa (We will go back to the) 'Mask, Hugas, Iwas,'" he said.
"Kung pupwede po, 'wag na po tayong lumabas ng bahay kung hindi naman kinakailangan (If possible, please don't leave your homes if not needed)," he added.
According to Roque, the "Mask, Hugaw, Iwas" combo was the key to beating COVID-19 and that vaccination will not offer immediate protection against the disease.
"'Yan lang po talaga ang sandata natin. Yung bakuna po, hindi kaagad-agarang proteksyon po 'yan (That is our weapon. Vaccines cannot give you immediate protection)," he said.
"Umaabot po 'yan ng minimum six weeks bago gagana ang proteksyon at hindi pa natin maibigay sa lahat (Vaccines take up to at least six weeks before they take effect and we cannot give everyone vaccines yet)," he added.
Roque urged the public to get vaccinated, reminding them that it was free.
So far, the country has reported 1,524,499 cases of COVID-19 with 26,874 deaths and 1,449,579 recoveries.
Meanwhile, 15,953,911 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country with 5,231,469 persons receiving their second dose as of July 21.