Bong Go call for continued public vigilance as COVID-19 variants keep emerging

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go. (Photo from his office)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go called on Sunday for continued public vigilance as COVID-19 variants, particularly the Delta variant, continued to emerge in several places worldwide.

“Let’s not yet be confident because times are still dangerous with the continued presence of COVID-19,” Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said in a statement in Filipino. “Let’s follow the rules and let’s trust the experts and authorities who have nothing but the welfare of the nation in mind.”

In his recent “Talk to the People” address, President Rodrigo Duterte also warned the public against the Delta variant and made this appeal to medical experts: “We need your advice. It could spell the agony or the happiness of the Filipino people.”

“This is something which I cannot decide alone because I am not a medical person, and I would need and welcome every advice that I could get from everybody who has a good grasp of the problem,” he added.

The Delta Plus variant, which was first detected in India, has also been labeled a “variant of concern” by the Indian government, in addition to the original Delta variant.

This developed only weeks after India began to see a decrease in COVID-19 cases after a lethal second wave saw cases reach 400,000 per day. Experts in India are concerned that the new type could start the third wave.

Go emphasized the importance of self-discipline and bayanihan in warding off the threats of the virus and its emerging variants.

“As chair of the Senate Committee on Health, I have always reminded our countrymen that the biggest part of bayanihan is our own caution and discipline so that our health system will not fail,” Go said.

“Our cooperation will help our health workers who are risking their own lives to save the lives of others,” he added.

Go also encouraged people to get vaccinated against the disease.

“Little by little we are being given hope of returning to a more comfortable and normal life through intensified vaccination of our communities,” he said.

“Vaccination is the key and the solution for us to get past this crisis. So I’m urging everyone that when the time comes for you to be vaccinated, according to the priority classification that we are following, don’t hesitate anymore,” he added.

Earlier, the Department of Health cited the national vaccination program as a key factor in reducing the daily addition of new COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.

From June 16 to 22, the average number of daily new cases in Metro Manila was estimated at 685, lower than the 825 average cases recorded a week prior.

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