FILE PHOTO: President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos. REUTERS file photo
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urges the public to get their booster shot against COVID-19 and not wait for cases to increase further.
Visiting a vaccination site in Pasig City on Monday, Marcos Jr. stressed the importance of vaccines to fight the pandemic.
“Kaya’t kayo na nandito na na magpapa-booster na ay hikayatin ninyo ‘yung mga kasamahan ninyo, ‘yung pamilya ninyo lahat, sabihin ninyo lahat na magpa-booster na para hindi niyo na kailangan alalahanin itong COVID na ito para masasabi natin dito sa Pilipinas ay tapos na,” he said.
(Those who are here, I urge you to get your booster shots and convince your family also to get booster shots, so you no longer have to worry about COVID-19, and we can say that the pandemic is over here in our country.)
“Wala naman tayong ibang panlaban dito kung hindi ang vaccine. ‘Wag na po nating hintayin na dumami pa ang mga kaso at maging mahirap na naman ang ating pagpunta sa trabaho, ang ating paglabas ng bahay,” he added.
(We have no other way to fight this except the vaccines. So let us not wait for cases to rise; it won’t be easy again to go to our jobs and out of our homes.)
Nonetheless, Marcos Jr. reiterated his promise during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) that there will be “no more lockdowns” despite still rising cases of the deadly coronavirus.
“Follow the protocols: hugas ng kamay, suot lang muna po ng mask hanggang masabi natin ang Pilipinas ay COVID-free,” he also reminded the public.
(Follow the protocols: Wash your hands, and wear your masks until we can say that the Philippines is COVID-free.)
Around two weeks before the SONA, Marcos Jr. contracted COVID-19 for the second time. Again, he is fully vaccinated and boosted.
On Sunday, July 31, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded a total of 4,159 new cases of COVID-19, which drove active infections to 33,722.
The new infections also brought the country’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases to 3,776,627, including 3,682,278 recoveries and 60,727 deaths.