Attain herd immunity before new variant enters PH – solon
THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) ramped up its vaccination drive to support the National Vaccination Days after the National Task Force Against COVID-19 extended the vaccination days until December 3.
Sen. Richard J. Gordon, PRC chairman and chief executive officer, stressed that there is a need to attain herd immunity before the Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa which is believed to be driving the increase in cases there, enters Philippine shores.
Gordon deployed PRC’s Bakuna Buses and Bakuna Centers, which vaccinated 8,155 individuals on December 2, to aid the government in ramping up its vaccination efforts and provide proper and accurate information in different platforms to encourage everyone to get vaccinated.
“There is cause for concern for the Omicron Variant but there is no need to panic. Naghahanda na kami sa Philippine Red Cross kung sakali makapasok ang bagong variant. Ngunit, ito ay ating maiiwasan kung tayo ay magpapa-test, magpapabakuna, magpapractice ng health protocols kagaya ng pagsusuot ng mask, paghugas ng kamay, at social distancing. Huwag na rin muna lumabas kung hindi kailangan. Let us protect ourselves and the people around us,” he said.
With the holiday season approaching, Gordon encouraged everyone to get tested and utilize the free vaccines provided by the local government units.
“Magpabakuna sa pinakamalapit na Bakuna Centers upang maprotektahan ang sarili kontra COVID-19. For all people who want to have a Christmas event and gathering, all must present a negative COVID-19 test result, especially if there are very young unvaccinated children, elderly, and those with comorbidities even if they are fully vaccinated,” he said.
