Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion has urged Filipinos to get their booster shots to maintain the freedom of movement the country currently enjoys as millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine are also set to expire.
Concepcion made the appeal on Tuesday as "we know the freedom we enjoy today is because of vaccination."
He added that it is also to avoid the country's existing 27 million Covid-19 doses from going to waste.
"We call on fellow Filipinos to think about their safety and the safety of their families as well and get their booster shots immediately," he said.
"Greater mobility has brought our lives back to normal and is helping the economy as we see more people being employed. Let’s protect the gains and the freedom we currently enjoy with the help of vaccines," he added.
The Go Negosyo founder reminded the public that it has to help the government in its efforts to contain the pandemic. He said two doses of Covid-19 vaccine are no longer enough as their efficacy wane after around six months.
"Booster shot is a must so we can get additional layer of protection against COVID-19," he said.
He also said getting booster shots would help spare the Philippines from surges that are happening in other countries.
"We need to take the booster to protect ourselves as variants have been hitting other countries. The government has purchased these vaccines and the slow uptake will lead to vaccines expiring, aside from waning immunity," he added.
Concepcion also renewed his call for the government to require booster shots for individuals before being tagged as fully vaccinated.
This came after vaccine czar Charlie Galvez said only 13.86 percent of qualified Filipinos have already received their booster shots.
"If the booster vaccination rate remains low, we would be in danger of experiencing another surge that could lead to lockdowns, which would again restrict our movement and derail the momentum of our economic recovery," he said.