Leave no one behind —- Bong Go calls for intensified efforts to vaccinate remaining senior citizens, vulnerable groups to overcome pandemic

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has reiterated his appeal to the national government and local government units to intensify the rollout of vaccines for eligible members of the vaccine priority list, particularly unvaccinated senior citizens.

"Bagama't hindi mandatory ang vaccination laban sa COVID-19 at hindi pwedeng pilitin ang mga tao, hikayatin pa rin natin ang mga hindi pa bakunado na magpabakuna na dahil maiiwasan natin ang malubhang sakit o maging kamatayan dahil sa COVID-19. Ilapit na natin sa kanila ang bakuna at ipaintindi natin nang mabuti," Go said.

Go urged LGUs to consider intensifying their house-to-house operations to vaccinate priority groups, particularly senior citizens who have difficulties going outside their homes.

"Ang panawagan ko po sa mga LGUs na suyurin po. Kasi 'yung mga senior citizens natin hindi nakakalabas, takot pong lumabas, takot mag-travel po papunta sa vaccination center," said Go.

"Dapat po, pwede bang maaari ibahay-bahay n'yo na po, puntahan ng LGUs 'yung pamamahay ng mga senior citizens na gustong magpabakuna," he added.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Yadav, World Health Organization representative in the Philippines, recently voiced concern that more than 2.5 million senior citizens had yet to receive a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

"Vaccinating these older people is one of the effective ways to save lives during this pandemic," he said.

Yadav then appealed to LGUs to get their constituents to obtain their vaccinations, particularly elderly and those with co-morbidities.

Go, for his part, then continued to remind the public not to fear the vaccines but the virus itself, and that it is the only way to protect themselves, their families, and communities from COVID-19.

"Nananawagan po ako sa mga kababayan natin na magtiwala ho kayo sa bakuna, huwag ho kayong matakot sa bakuna. Sa mga senior citizens po magpabakuna na kayo, part po kayo ng priority list. Marami pa pong dapat balikan ang ating gobyerno, lalung lalo na po sa senior citizen," said Go.

Earlier, Go also encouraged parents to trust the vaccines to better protect their children against COVID-19 as the government recently started the rollout of vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years.

While the senator acknowledged the concerns raised by parents, he assured them that the decision was made by the government only after careful consideration and consultations with health experts.

"Alam ko po na marami ang nag-aalala at concerned sa magiging epekto ng bakuna para sa kanilang mga anak ngunit maniwala po tayo sa mga eksperto, doktor at sa siyensya. Napatunayan na po na makakatulong itong magbigay ng dagdag proteksyon para sa mga menor de edad," Go said.

Meanwhile, Go appealed to LGUs and the private sector to devise creative ways to encourage Filipinos to get vaccinated.

"Habang pinoproteksyunan natin ang buhay ng mga Pilipino, sinisikap rin nating lutasin ang hirap at gutom na dulot ng pandemya. Kapag protektado ang komunidad gamit ang bakuna, mas makapagtatrabaho na rin ang mga tao at sisigla ang kabuhayan ng lahat," Go explained.

As of February 11, the Philippines has already received a total of 222,449,820 COVID-19 vaccines. Around 61.4 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated while 61.07 have received their first dose. Meanwhile, 8,948,520 booster shots have already been administered throughout the country.