Philippines must aim for zero COVID-19 case —Lacson

Senator Panfilo Lacson exhorted the government to embark on aggressive mass testing, contact tracing and giving mass booster shots as COVID-19 cases rise anew with the emergence of the Omicron variant.

The presidential aspirant also sought to accelerate the process to vaccinate kids between five and 11 years old to trim down the COVID-19 infections in the country.

"We can claim victory only when there are zero cases. As the latest surge of infections has shown, we cannot become complacent even when the number of cases goes down,” he said.

"On top of that, national and local governments must embark on an aggressive mass testing, mass contact tracing, and mass booster shots. The process to vaccinate five- to 11-year-olds must be accelerated," he added.

Two years into the pandemic, Lacson said the authorities should know what to do by now which is to ensure the efficient rollout of vaccine and booster shots, and the proper distribution of ‘ayuda’ to families affected by this continuing threat to our health and economy.

Moreover, Lacson welcomed the Department of Tourism’s suspension and slapping of fine against a hotel in Makati, which failed to restrain a Filipina from the United States, Gwyneth Anne Chua, from breaching the quarantine protocol to attend a social event, as well as the filing of charges against the individuals involved, calling it a “good start.”

He acknowledged the decision of his fellow candidates to postpone their political gatherings amid the rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.

“I support the halting of ground activities like motorcades by the campaign teams of those running in the May 9 elections. Wala pa ang Omicron sa Pilipinas, may disiplina na kami ni Senate President Tito Sotto sa mga hybrid online dialogues namin sa iba't ibang lugar ng bansa (Even before Omicron, Senate President Tito Sotto and I have put a premium on discipline in our hybrid online dialogues in various parts of the country)," Lacson said.

“It bears repeating that we cannot afford to let the pandemic continue devastating not just our health but also our economy. Now more than ever the government and the public need to work together to beat this COVID-19 menace. A proactive leadership with a data-driven approach, plus cooperation from the public, is the key,” he added.

In a separate statement, Senator Sonny Angara appealed to the public to remain vigilant and avail of the COVID-19 vaccines to protect themselves from infections.

The lawmaker, who sponsored Republic Act 11525 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, said there should be no letup in the efforts of the Department of Health and the local government units to educate the people about the safety, efficacy and benefits of the vaccines in order to encourage those who are still unvaccinated.

He then urged the parents of children aging 12 to 17 years old to have their children immunized against coronavirus.

“Our goal is to have most, if not all, of the population vaccinated. The government poured in a significant amount of resources to boost the country’s supply of vaccines and this is being done to ensure that all Filipinos are protected from COVID-19,” Angara said.

He also reiterated the need to continue observing the minimum health protocols, saying everyone has a “responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID and it all starts by getting vaccinated.”

On Wednesday, the Philippines logged 10,775 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 2,871,745.

The Philippines' positivity rate climbed to 31.7% from January 4's positivity rate of 26.2%.—LDF, GMA News