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Nancy Binay: Senate Committee of the Whole should tackle Covid-19 concerns anew
Nancy Binay: Senate Committee of the Whole should tackle Covid-19 concerns anew
Senator Nancy Binay on Thursday said she sees a need for the Senate to convene the Committee of the Whole to discuss the pending concerns regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Binay said it is imperative for the Senate in the 19th Congress to still tackle concerns regarding Covid-19 vaccination programs, access to boosters, inquire regarding the status of the country’s healthcare workers, look into the health and pandemic statistics, assess the country’s level of preparedness, exit plans on the pandemic and other issues.
The senator said she supports the government’s booster drive especially in the face of pandemic fatigue and vaccine complacency. But because cases of Covid-19 had gone down in the previous months, people have become less vigilant.
I support the recommendation for the third shot (booster), pero dapat maging aggressive ang DOH doon sa mga nasa priority groups, paigtingin pa lalo ang pagbabakuna sa mga isolated and remote areas (but the DOH should be aggressive among priority groups, intensify the vaccination in isolated and remote areas),” Binay said in a statement.
“Ang importante (what is important is), we all agree that the paramount concern is to be fully protected from the virus,” said the lawmaker.
Binay noted only 15.34 million Filipinos out of an eligible population of 40 million have so far availed of booster shots , which experts say provide additional protection against the virus.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier warned that the surge could hit its peak of up to 11,000 new infections by the end of July, with increased hospital admissions by August to September.
Binay said it is necessary for the Senate to continue revisiting and reviewing the country’s public health policies to ensure these are up-to-date and in line with international standards.
“At the end of the day, we need to always revisit the science behind our every decision on matters of public health like having a common index and definition of what 'fully vaccinated' is or should be that is compliant and aligned sa World Health Organization (WHO) or similar internationally-recognized and respected organizations,” she said.