The Department of Health (DOH) urged the public again to up their protection against Covid-19 by getting vaccinated and boosted.
DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire encouraged eligible Filipinos to receive the necessary shots of Covid-19 vaccines amid the presence of Omicron variant and its subvariants in the country.
"Hanggang maaga gusto natin mabigyan ng proteksyon ang ating populasyon at ating mga kababayan. Ito pong mga bakunang nakuha natin, sa unang dalawang doses ay nag wi-wane po ang immunity, kumpleto na po ang ebidensya nito (We want to provide protection to our population.The immunity offered by the first two doses wanes over time and this is based on complete evidence) all over the world,” said Vergeire during a vaccination activity in Trece Martires, Cavite on Friday, Sept. 30.
“Kaya naman hinikayat ng DOH together with local governments ang pagbibigay at pagtanggap ng mga kababayan natin ng bakuna (This is why the DOH, together with local governments, is encouraging the public to receive their vaccines)," she added.
Vaccination can help build a strong “wall of immunity” against the virus, said Vergeire.
“Ang pagpili sa bakuna ay pagpili ng kaligtasan hindi lamang ng inyong mga sarili kung hindi pati ng mga komunidad na inyong kinabibilangan (Choosing to get vaccinated is choosing safety not only for yourselves but also for the communities you belong to)," she said.
Vergeire also expressed her gratitude for the efforts of local government officials in promoting Covid-19 vaccination.
"Na appreciate po ng kagawarang pangkalusugan ang ating mga local officials para makapag pabakuna dahil alam po namin ang hirap nila in spite na andyan po ang risk na pwedeng mangyari (The Health department appreciates our local officials for their vaccination efforts because we know their hardships in spite of the possible risk that can happen),” she said.
As of Sept. 26, more than 73 million Filipinos have been fully-vaccinated. More than 19.2 million individuals have received their first booster shot, the DOH said.