MANDALUYONG CITY -- The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) as an active ally of the government reminds the public to take extra care with the new easily transmissible Delta variant now present in the country.

New PRC COVID-19 response consultant, Dr. Teddy Herbosa, emphasizes that it is very important for local government units to expand their "Four Door Policy," such as intensifying the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) policies and expanding healthcare system capacities.

In an interview, he said "early about two weeks ago the cases had come from just returning overseas Filipinos so we're able to catch them, put them on quarantine then they're sent home, but now it's more difficult as there is local transmission now. This is why we are doing aggressive community testing. We still feel that the virus came from a returning Filipino who probably spread it in those areas."

Also, as the PRC helps implement the Four Door Policy of the government which includes the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, Dr. Herbosa hopes that all priority groups especially senior citizens and persons with co-morbidities get vaccinated as soon as possible.

"I recommend the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) brand for lolo at si lola since they cannot go to the vaccination site by themselves. If they get jabbed J&J, they don't need to come back since they only need one dose," he said.

"The key is to get vaccinated right away, it doesn't matter which brand because all the seven vaccines are safe and effective" he added.

The Four Door Policy includes:
• Border control
• Active surveillance including test and trace
• Early isolation and treatment of all those who tested positive
• COVID-19 Vaccination Program (Philippine Red Cross)