VIRUS PROTECTION. A health care worker carefully injects the Covid-19 jab on a resident at the Valenzuela Astrodome on Sunday (June 28, 2021). The city was also the site of Monday’s special inoculation activity to mark the country breaching the 10-million mark in jabs administered. (PNA photo by Joey Razon)
MANILA – The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on Monday urged the public to get vaccinated as health experts say it is highly effective against the new Covid-19 variant of concern.
In the Philippines, more than 10 million are already vaccinated as of June 27, with 2.5 million already with complete doses.
The new version of the Delta coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly in a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, and India, health officials said.
The new variant of concern, which has generated a significant amount of global media attention, is called B.1.617.2.1, AY.1 or Delta Plus, and is a version of the Delta variant first detected in India in February.
“Tuloy-tuloy ang serbisyo ng PRC sa pagbabakuna. Sa ngayon ay mayroon na tayong pitong PRC bakuna centers upang mas mapabilis ang pagbabakuna sa ating kababayan (PRC continues to help in the vaccination program. PRC has seven vaccination centers to help the country hasten the process),” PRC chair Senator Richard Gordon said in a news release.
Gordon also emphasized the importance of wearing face mask and undergoing regular testing.
“Always wear a face mask. PRC is ramping up vaccination efforts and continues to test regularly, so that we can separate the asymptomatic spreaders from the healthy ones,” he added.
PRC, the leading organization when it comes to Covid-19 testing, has conducted over 3.3 million tests, making up for 23 percent of total tests done in the country.
Gordon cited four most important guidelines in the Fareed Zakaria book “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World”-- social distancing, wearing face masks, regular handwash, and regular tests -- to slow the spread of the virus.
These practices are most important as majority of Filipinos are not yet vaccinated, Gordon said. (PR)
