ZAMBOANGA CITY, Jul 25 (PIA) – The first State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos emphasizes the importance of COVID-19 booster vaccination rollout around the country.

President Marcos affirms there will no longer be lockdowns in the Philippines, saying that “we need to balance health and wellness of the residents and the economy”.

With the resumption of face-to-face classes, the President urges the Department of Health (DOH) to undertake another booster vaccination rollout especially to the pediatric group who will be returning to school soon.

“In this way, even the cases increase, the number of hospitalization will decrease with the help of booster dose,” President Marcos said.

Moreover, booster vaccination rate in Region 9 is also a concern of the DOH and local government units. DOH-9 reported As of July 20, 2022, a total of 4,792,727 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered either as first or second dose. Out of these, 2,178,773 eligible population were vaccinated with their 1st dose COVID-19 vaccine and 2,250,039 eligible population received their complete doses of COVID-19 vaccines and 353,915 who received their first booster and 10,000 as second booster.

Zamboanga Peninsula is one with the nationwide launching of the PinasLakas COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign focusing on booster vaccination on July 26. The President aims to resume full capacity especially in businesses to regain the impact in the economy brought by the pandemic.

“We need to focus in disseminating the right information to fight COVID-19 and to maintain the health alert system,” President Marcos added.

The President will also establish a Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Vaccine Institute that are attached to the DOH. More hospitals outside the National Capital Region will also be expected as part of his administration’s plans.

“We must bring medical services to the people and not wait for them to come to our hospitals and healthcare centers,” he said. (RVC/MLE/PIA9-Zamboanga City)