PASAY CITY -- Amid the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country, Senator Sonny Angara reminded the public to remain vigilant and to take the necessary steps to protect them from possible infections.

Alarmed by the spike in new COVID cases over the past few weeks, Angara renewed his call for all those who have yet to receive their vaccinations to avail of the free doses already.

The Department of Health (DOH) has noted that 85 percent of patients with severe COVID-19 in the intensive care units of hospitals are unvaccinated.

“Nakakaalarma ang panibagong pag angat ng mga kaso ng COVID sa bansa. Ayon sa mga eksperto, ang bagong COVID variant na Omicron ay mas nakakahawa kaya mas mainam na ang lahat ay magkaroon ng proteksyon sa pamamagitan ng pagbakuna kontra sa COVID-19,” Angara said.

“Sapat naman ang supply ng bakuna sa bansa ngayon at ito ay bibigay na libre ng ating pamahalaan. Malinaw din ang datos na nagpapatunay na mas ligtas ang taong bakunado kesa sa hindi kaya wala talagang dahilan para hindi pa sumailalim sa pagpapabakuna,” Angara added.

As the sponsor of Republic Act 11525 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, Angara said there should be no letup in the efforts of the DOH and the local government units to educate the people about the safety, efficacy and benefits of the vaccines in order to encourage the unconvinced to get vaccinated already.

Angara also urged the parents of minors to have their children vaccinated already, particularly those aged 12 to 17.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for minors aged five to 11 and the rollout of the inoculation for this age group should come soon.

“Our goal is to have most, if not all, of the population vaccinated. The government poured in a significant amount of resources to boost the country’s supply of vaccines and this is being done to ensure that all Filipinos are protected from COVID-19,” Angara said.

Apart from getting vaccinated, Angara reminded the public to continue observing the minimum health protocols whenever they have to go out of their homes.

“Kahit nabakunahan na tayo ay kailangan pa din sundin ang mga health protocols kabilang na ang pagsuot ng face mask. We all have a responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID and it all starts by getting vaccinated,” Angara said.

“Sundin natin ang mga patakaran ng bawat lungsod at kung maaari ay ‘wag na lumabas kung hindi naman kinakailangan. Ayaw na natin maranasan ulit ang mga mahihigpit na lockdown kung saan lahat tayo ay apektado,” Angara added. (OSSA)