COVID-19 vaccine rollout not a reason to be complacent –Velasco

House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Monday said the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in the country should not be a reason for the public to be complacent amid the pandemic.

Velasco reminded the public to remain vigilant as there has been a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases. He called on the public to continue observing the minimum health protocols against the disease.

"While we understand that more businesses are reopening and people want to resume normal activities, we have to maintain our health protocols until the COVID-19 threat is effectively addressed by our vaccination program,” Velasco said.

“Now is not the time to let our guard down. We have to wait until such time a greater number of Filipinos are vaccinated and herd immunity has been achieved," he said.

The Philippines started its vaccine rollout following the arrivals of Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. Health frontliners are being prioritized in the government's inoculation program.

On Sunday, the Philippines recorded 594,412 COVID-19 cases after the Department of Health tallied 3,276 new infections. It was the third day that new cases reached more than 3,000.

According to the DOH, lapses in compliance with health and safety protocols have contributed to the recent increase in infections.

The DOH also said there was still no evidence of community transmission of the United Kingdom and South Africa variants in the country. — DVM, GMA News