MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Lord Allan Velasco cautioned the public on Monday that the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine should not lull them into a false sense of security.
Velasco made the remark as the country is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
“While we understand that more businesses are reopening and people want to resume normal activities, we have to maintain our health protocols until the COVID-19 threat is effectively addressed by our vaccination program,” Velasco said in a statement.
In a similar fashion, Velasco pointed out that vigilance in following all recommended health and safety protocols is “more critical now than ever.”
“Now is not the time to let our guard down… We have to wait until such time a greater number of Filipinos are vaccinated and herd immunity has been achieved,” Velasco said.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Sunday an additional 3,276 cases of COVID-19, pushing the number of total active coronavirus cases in the Philippines to 36,043.
This was the third straight day that the DOH reported new cases that breached the 3,000-mark.
READ: New COVID-19 cases in PH breach 3,000-mark for 3rd straight day