The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomes the 3-day vaccination drive against Covid-19 of the national government. Dubbed as “Bayanihan, Bakunahan,” the event will run from 29 November to 1 December 2021 with the aim of inoculating 15 million individuals to bring us closer to the goal of 70 million fully-vaccinated Filipinos nationwide.

With currently about 30 million Covid-19 vaccines administered and 13 million Filipinos fully-vaccinated, the Department of Health has reported that the daily positivity rate has gone down to 3.9%. This is the lowest recorded rate of Covid-19 cases since 17 May 2020. The average new cases have also gone down to around 2,000, which is also the lowest average since 25 February 2021.

This intensified vaccination effort is in line with the State’s duty to safeguard everyone’s right to health. We are hopeful that it will bolster the vaccination momentum and that more people will be encouraged to get inoculated as they see more evidence of its impact. Considering the relaxation of quarantine restrictions, the vaccination drive is also crucial in ensuring that more people are protected as normalcy gradually resumes.

In the same vein, CHR expresses its continuing support in the desire of achieving herd immunity. However, we equally continue to reiterate our stern reminder that efforts toward this end, such as this 3-day vaccination drive, must always comply with domestic laws and human rights standards in upholding the rights and dignity of all. ###