More COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive soon, says Bong Go as he urged gov't to accelerate vaccination efforts throughout the country

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, on Saturday, April 10, said that more vaccines, particularly from China and Russia, are expected to arrive in the country soon as the government's national vaccination program continues to move forward.

In a radio interview, Go said that 500,000 Sinovac vaccines are arriving in the country on Sunday while an initial 20,000 Sputnik vaccines from Russia are expected to arrive that week too.

"Bukas (April 11) may darating na 500,000 na Sinovac vaccine from China. Bahagi po ito ng nabili nating 1.5 million doses na Sinovac nitong April. Bagama't may delays, talagang pahirapan po ang supply ng bakuna sa ngayon pero ginagawa po ng gobyerno, ni Secretary (Carlito) Galvez ang lahat ng makakaya natin para po mapabilis ang pagdating nitong mga ino-order na bakuna," Go said during the interview on Saturday, April 10.

"Sa susunod na linggo, inaasahang darating ang 20,000 initial Sputnik vaccine from Russia. Ito po ay pilot logistics run muna dahil meron pang unique requirements for first and second doses. Inaasahang 20 million po isu-supply ng Russia sa atin with first tranche of 500,000 doses this April or May," he added.

Go also mentioned that President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon the efforts to further strengthen cooperation between the two nations in the fight against COVID-19 including increasing vaccine supply.

"Inaasahan na kakausapin din ni Pangulong Duterte ang President ng Russia. Maaaring isa rin ito sa kanilang pag-uusapan," shared Go.

While waiting for the vaccines, Go stressed the importance of ensuring that health guidelines are followed during the vaccination process.

"Sumunod po tayo sa mga paaalala po ng gobyerno at ako naman po, bilang Senate (Health) Committee chair, dapat bilisan na po ang pagkakaroon ng mas maraming vaccination centers upang maiwasan natin ang pagkukumpulan ng tao," he said.

The Senator, then, said he hopes for the government to reach its vaccination target, stressing that around 50 to 70 million Filipinos need to be fully vaccinated to attain herd immunity by end of this year.

"Yun po ang importante sa atin ngayon. 'Wag kayo matakot sa bakuna. Matakot kayo sa COVID-19. Ang bakuna po ang tanging solusyon sa problema natin sa ngayon kaya 'wag kayo matakot sa bakuna," he reminded Filipinos.

He also urged the general public to maintain discipline and continue following health protocols to deter the spread of the virus.

"The more po na matitigas ang ulo natin, the more tayong mahihirapan... Kaya mas mabuti pa, cooperate dapat sa gobyerno. Disiplina, social distancing, hugas ng kamay, mask at face shield muna tayo. 'Yan naman ay napatunayan na 90% maiiwasan ang pagkalat ng COVID-19," said Go.

"'Wag muna kayo magkumpul-kumpol dahil delikado pa po ang panahon. Habang 'di pa po nagbabakuna, mag-ingat lalo. Konting tiis muna, mga party-party, next year na 'yan. Pili kayo, party kayo ngayon pero last party n'yo na," he added, emphasizing that following health protocols is important in saving lives.