Duterte urges voters to get boosted ahead of Eleksyon 2022

President Rodrigo Duterte called on the public to receive their COVID-19 booster shots before they cast their votes in the May 9 elections to protect themselves from possible infections in polling places where there will be crowding. 

“‘Yung booster shots ninyo (your booster shots), it’s still available at anybody can have it because it’s election time. There will be crowding again of people congregating and it would be good to have the booster shots before you go out and mix with the crowd,” Duterte said in his Talk to the People aired on Tuesday morning.

Duterte explained that the booster shots might not 100% guarantee that there will be no COVID-19 reinfection especially among those with weak immune systems, but it can help protect them against the viral disease.

“If normal ka lang, hindi ka masakitin (if you’re normal and not sickly), it can protect you and you can vote there without any… sans the worry about getting the infection again,” he added.

Duterte earlier reminded the voters to comply with the minimum public health standards in polling places on Election Day to prevent another COVID-19 surge in the country, considering the separate warnings of the Department of Health (DOH) and OCTA Research of a possible increase in COVID-19 infections.

“Still, we’re in the COVID-19. Complacency is really the…it would be the enemy of the matter of preventing again or allowing the COVID-19 to come back. Sabagay, it would not be as serious like before, kasi bakunado tayo (because we’re already vaccinated),” he said.

DOH on Monday noted there are more than 67.9 million individuals or 75.45% of the government’s target population who are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, some 13.2 million Filipinos have received their booster shots, it added. — RSJ, GMA News