MANDALUYONG CITY -- Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard "Dick" Gordon encouraged everyone to get vaccinated as the Department of Health detected the first case of Omicron Variant last December 15, 2021.

The Department of Health (DOH) announced that the patients carrying the Omicron COVID-19 variant are isolated in a Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) facility. The DOH is currently identifying all possible close contacts and fellow passengers of the two patients affected by the omicron variant.

"Sa unang kaso ng omicron variant na nadetect sa ating bansa, dapat alalahanin natin na tayo ay nasa gitna pa rin ng pandemya. sundin natin ang mga health protocols kagaya ng pagsusuot ng face masks, social distancing, at tayo ay magpatest at magpa bakuna sapagkat ito ang ating proteksyon kontra COVID-19," Sen. Dick Gordon said.

PRC continues its vaccination program to inoculate individuals that are yet to receive their first dose. Last December 15, 2021, PRC vaccinated 682 individuals in Quezon Lucena, Tarlac, Negros Occidental, Pasay, and Bataan through PRC's Bakuna Centers and Bakuna Buses. ( Philippine Red Cross)