Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Saturday, January 15 advised all eligible Filipinos to get vaccinated and take their booster shots as well for added protection against COVID-19 and its variants as the number of daily infections continues to rise in the Philippines.

Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, cited data from the Department of Health (DOH) showing that new infections rose to 37,207 on January 14, the highest single tally reported since the pandemic started.

The DOH also registered a positivity rate of 47.3 percent which meant that nearly one out of every two individuals who were tested turned out positive.

‘’To the unvaccinated but qualified, have yourselves inoculated in the nearest vaccination center in your area,” Go said.

“Para naman sa mga bakunado na at kuwalipikado nang kumuha ng booster, magpaturok na rin kayo (To the vaccinated individuals who are already qualified for booster shots should also get themselves boosted). May mga pag-aaral ang mga eksperto na ang booster ay makakapagbigay ng karagdagang proteksyon laban sa mas nakakahawang Omicron variant (According studies made by experts, booster would provide additional protection against the most transmissible ‘Omicron’ variant,” he added.

The senator from Davao added that the emergence of the ‘Omicron’ variant has emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted.

“Hinihikayat ko ang lahat na magpabakuna (I am encouraging everybody to have themselves vaccinated). Nasa datos naman na kung sino ang positibo at grabe ‘yung sintomas ay kadalasan sila ‘yung mga hindi pa bakunado (It is on record that those tested positive with serious symptoms were mostly unvaccinated individuals),” Go said.

Health experts have found that receiving two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine alone significantly reduces one’s risk of developing severe symptoms or dying as a result of the virus. Despite the sharp spike in infections, the country’s case-to-hospitalization rate is currently lower compared to previous surges.

A recent study by the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University also revealed that an additional dose of an mRNA-based vaccine can provide immunity against the Omicron variant.

The government has administered around 117.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of January 13. Some 54.5 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated while 58.5 million have received their first dose. More than 4.4 million have obtained their booster shots.

On this note, Go reminded Filipinos to religiously observe basic health protocols such as using masks in public, social distancing and regular handwashing, in order to further minimize their risk of infection.

Go, however, pointed out that these strategies would only work if everyone cooperates. Experts found that the proper use of masks alone decreases the risk of catching and spreading the virus.

“Ang public health ay responsibilidad nating lahat at hindi lamang ng gobyerno (the public health is the responsibility of all and not only of the government), Kaya gawin natin ang ating parte at maging bahagi ng solusyon (Let us do our share and a be part of the solution). Palawakin natin ang ating kaalaman sa mga sintomas ng sakit at kung may nararamdaman kayo, mas mabuting iwasan na ang paglabas ng bahay para wala nang mahawaan pang iba (Let us expand our knowledge of the symptoms of the disease and if you are feeling something, it is better that we avoid going out of the house to ensure that we do not transmit the disease to others),” he added.

Finally, Go reiterated his appeal to the public not to let their guards down. He stressed that everyone is responsible for keeping each other safe.

He also underlined the importance of continued public support to help the government balance public health and economic interests.

“Sa ngayon, maraming lugar sa bansa ang isinailalim sa Alert Level 3 dahil sa sitwasyon na ito (For now, many places in the country were placed under Alert Level 3 because of this situation). Ang nais po nating gawin ay magkaroon ng balanse sa ating kalusugan at ekonomiya (What we want to do is to have a balance between our health and the economy). Huwag po sana nating hayaang mag-lockdown dahil nais nating umahon ang ating mga negosyo sa kabila ng paghihirap nitong nakaraang dalawang taon (We should not allow to have another lockdown because we need our businesses to recover from what has happened the past two years) ,” Go stressed.