(File photo)
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday urged the local government units (LGUs) to speed up their respective coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination drives.
"We cannot live anymore in the shadow of this potent enemy, especially now that science and medicines have proven that it is possible to live, if not, entirely defeat this virus," he said during his final State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Duterte said the government is ready to further boost the country's daily vaccination rate with the continuous arrival of more vaccines.
While the government imposed health protocols that have been proven effective and have slowed down the transmission of the virus, Duterte said still "the best solution is the vaccination."
"I also encouraged our local government units to hasten their rollout and strengthen their inoculation program. San Juan city one has vaccinated 70 percent of their population in a month’s time. Saludo ako sa inyo (I salute you)," he said.
Ahead of Duterte's final SONA, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said all government agencies are doing their best in terms of pandemic response.
In an interview with PTV-4, Año said the government had adequately enforced the community quarantine protocols and minimum public health standards putting premium on 80 percent on the prevention of Covid-19 transmission.
“Sa pangunguna ng IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) at saka ng National Task Force (against Covid-19), katulong din natin iyong ating local government units mula sa pagpapatupad ng PDITR plus vaccination strategy hanggang sa pag-roll out ng ating mga vaccination (With the IATF and the National Task Force at the lead, and with the assistance of the local government units (LGUs) in the implementation of the PDITR plus vaccination strategy up to the roll-out of the vaccination (health and quarantine protocols were imposed),’’ Año added.
He also maintained the National Task Force against Covid-19 and the LGUs play vital roles in preventing the spread of the virus in order to ease the country's healthcare utilization rate for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora thanked the President for recognizing the city's vaccination efforts.
"Thank you very much President Rodrigo Duterte for recognizing San Juan's vaccination program during your SONA. It means a lot to each and every San Juaneño and to everyone involved in our daily vaccination," Zamora said in a statement.
The Philippines has administered a total of 17,202,421 doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Sunday, of which 11,113,107 are allocated as the first dose and 6,089,314 are full doses. (with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
