The Commission welcomes the latest announcement from the Department of Health (DOH), which reports that over two million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As of 20 June 2021, a total of 8,407,342 doses have so far been administered with 6,253,400 shots accounting for the first dose and 2,153,942 were for the second dose.

In recent weeks, local government units (LGUs) have consistently recorded record breaking vaccination numbers which has led to this great milestone, with the average daily administered doses over the past week at 208,809. We are confident that continued efforts of the LGU, national government, and collective action of the people will help keep vaccination numbers up and Covid outbreaks low.

The Commission urges every eligible individual to get vaccinated to protect themselves and prevent the spread and mutation of Covid. Frequent transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus leads to greater chances of mutations. Currently, the DOH has detected 40 additional Covid-19 variant cases. Out of the 40 variations, four (4) are of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant.

The Delta variant is particularly worrying. It is a variant of concern that is quickly overtaking other variations as it has shown itself to be more contagious and has the possibility to be more resistant to current vaccines and treatment. According to the DOH spokesperson, the Delta variant is believed to be 60 percent more transmissible than the contagious Alpha variant. It is no surprise then that the Delta variant is quickly overtaking more developed countries with some reporting majority of new cases composed of the aforementioned variant.

The best defense we have under these circumstances is to keep up our vaccination efforts and ensure continued compliance with basic health protocols. The Commission thus welcomes the enactment of the government’s “no wrong door policy” for its Covid-19 vaccination program. This policy allows Filipinos to be inoculated anywhere in the country and is seen help speed up efforts and ensure that that there remains ample allocation of #Vaccine4All.

On the suggestion of the segregation of vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals, the Commission takes great solace in the announcement of the DOH and Malacañang deferring the implementation of such policy. While more needs to be done to curb the spread of the virus, enacting policies that segregate the vaccinated from unvaccinated individuals may be prone to abuse and discrimination. We agree that further discussions and study needs to be done for future policies to protect general populations.

Currently, the Delta variant has not yet become the dominant strain the country. It is only right that we do everything in our power to prevent it from being so. All individuals are enjoined to help change the tide of the Covid situation in the country. We fight each and everyone’s battle by continuing to wear our masks and face shields and washing our hands. This is a battle we would be remiss if are to fail. Ultimately, in the end there is a zero-lose option. There is only one outcome, and that is for all of us to win together as one.

#Vaccine4All