WHILE 10 million Filipinos are already vaccinated in the country as of Monday, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) urged the public to get vaccinated following the threat of new variants of concern (VOCs).
PRC Chairman and CEO Senator Richard Gordon noted the health experts’ warning that vaccines are highly effective against the Delta variant.
“Tuloy tuloy ang serbisyo ng PRC sa pagbabakuna. Sa ngayon ay mayroon na tayong pitong PRC bakuna centers upang mas mapabilis ang pagte-test sa ating kababayan [The PRC continues to serve in the vaccine rollout. As of now, we have seven PRC vaccination centers to help fast-track the testing of our countrymen],”Gordon said.
On Monday, at least 10 million Filipinos were listed as already vaccinated, while 2.5 million of those vaccinated received the second dose.
This is part of the 70 percent of the total adult population that needs to get vaccinated in the county.
Delta variant
The PRC chairman, meanwhile, warned that the new version of the Delta variant is spreading rapidly in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, United States, and India.
This new variant of concern, which has generated a significant amount of global media attention, Gordon added, is called B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1—Delta Plus for short and is a version of the Delta variant first detected in India in February.
In an interview, Gordon emphasized the importance of wearing a face mask and regular testing.
“Always wear a face mask. PRC is ramping up our 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, accounting for 23 percent of tests done in the country.
Gordon, meanwhile, cited the four most important guidelines in Fareed Zakaria’s book, “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World.”
Quoting the book, Gordon said Filipinos should do social distancing, wear face masks, regularly hand wash, and regular be tested to slow the spread of the virus.
These practices, he stressed, are most important as “the majority of our fellow Filipinos are not yet vaccinated.”