Gov’t adviser: Face mask, face shield can be ditched when 49M are fully vaccinated vs. COVID-19

Filipinos have a long way to go before they can go outside without face masks and face shields on with only three million people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, a government adviser said Thursday.

Dr. Ted Herbosa, who advises the National Task Force Against COVID-19, made the response when asked when can the country lift the COVID-19 restrictions given that the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program is already on its fifth month.

“We can remove face mask and face shield if we [have] already vaccinated between 49 to 50 million. Magtiis muna tayo na magsuot ng face mask, face shield, maghugas ng kamay at umiwas sa matataong lugar,” Herbosa said during the Laging Handa briefing.

(We should bear wearing face masks, face shields, washing our hands at avoiding crowded areas.)

Herbosa said that of the 12 million Filipinos who already got at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, only three million of them have completed two doses so far.

Herbosa also lamented that the government is battling strong vaccine hesitancy among senior citizens which are the second most vulnerable to the virus next to health workers.

Herbosa said only 29% of senior citizens already got vaccinated.

“Vaccine hesitancy is high among them, they argue that they are already old and such vaccine should be given to the younger ones. But this is wrong,” Herbosa said.

“It is the elderly who really needs to be vaccinated before the young because if they get infected, they can be hospitalized, (placed) in intensive care unit and (may) die. That is why we are appealing to them to get vaccinated so they will be protected,” he added.

The government has already tasked local government units (LGUs) to prioritize giving second doses due to delayed delivery of COVID-19 vaccine supply.

But even before such directive was made, a number of LGUs in National Capital Region such as Parañaque, Muntinlupa and Taguig had to temporarily suspend the vaccination program due to lack of supply.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said the government has no timeline yet for the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions pending the vaccination of at least 50% of the population. — RSJ, GMA News