Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has renewed his call for fellow Filipinos to be vigilant and to strictly adhere to the government’s minimum health protocols following the discovery of a new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, also known as “Kraken,” in the country.

The Department of Health (DOH), last week, said it is now keeping an eye on the said “Kraken” subvariant, after it detected two new cases of Omicron in the Philippines, raising the tally to three.

Go, head of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, reiterated the importance of being vigilant and being inoculated against Covid-19.

“Sa ngayon, naiulat nga po ‘yung sinasabing Kraken na bagong variant, naiulat po through WHO na mayroon pong natuklasang bagong variant na naman po ng COVID-19, ito pong XBB.1.5 (and it) is the most transmissible so far. Pero hindi naman po daw nagko-cause ng severe sickness so far ito (Right now, it has been reported that the so-called Kraken is a new variant, it has been reported through WHO that a new variant of COVID-19 has been discovered, this is XBB.1.5 (and it) is the most transmissible so far. But it doesn't cause severe illness so far),” Go said.

“Para po sa akin, ako po ay ineengganyo ko kayo na magpabakuna po dahil tanging bakuna lamang po ang solusyon para makabalik tayo sa normal na pamumuhay at mas protektado kayo kapag bakunado (For me, I urge you to get vaccinated because vaccination is the only solution so that we can return to normal life and you are more protected when vaccinated),” he said.

“At kung qualified na kayo sa booster, magpa-booster na po kayo dahil ‘yun po ang ating proteksyon. Panlaban natin ang bakuna sa COVID-19. So whether transmissible po itong variant na ito, importante po bakunado tayo, mas protektado po tayo (And if you are already qualified for the booster, get a booster because that is our protection. Let's fight the vaccine against COVID-19. So whether this variant is transmissible, it is important that we are vaccinated, we are better protected),” he stressed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described Kraken as the most transmissible Omicron strain to date. The subvariant has been detected in 59 countries across six continents since it was first identified in the United States back in October 2022.

The Philippines and South Korea are the only countries in Asia so far that has officially announced domestic cases of “Kraken.”

Continuing his appeal, Go reiterated the need to intensify the government’s vaccination program, as still many Filipinos refuse to cooperate and get themselves inoculated.

Libre naman po ito sa gobyerno, nandidiyan ang supply, sobra-sobra na nga, minsan nae-expire na nga. Huwag ho nating sayangin ang pagkakataon, magpabakuna kayo para protektado kayo (It's free from the government, the supply is there, it's too much, sometimes it even expires. Let's not waste the opportunity, get vaccinated so you are protected),” he said.