Public asked to get boosters, keep wearing face masks for better Christmas

Infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana on Tuesday urged Filipinos to get COVID-19 booster shots and to continue wearing their face masks for the country to see a better Christmas this year.

Salvana said the recent COVID-19 cases are seemingly on a plateau after a slight increase in the previous weeks considering the easing of the face mask mandate and the resumption of face-to-face classes.

He also emphasized the protection given by booster shots, pointing out that only four individuals out of the 16,017 fresh COVID-19 infection

“If you want to ensure a good Christmas, kung gusto nating lalong tumaas ang tyansa na mangyari ‘yun, nakikiusap po kami sa ating mga kababayan, magpa-boost po kayo para mas maganda ‘yung ating insurance, para hindi tayo makakita ng case spikes pa at kung tumaas man ‘yung cases, manatiling mababa ‘yung number of severe cases,” he said in a public briefing.

(If you want to ensure a good Christmas, if you want to increase the chances of that happening, we are asking the public to get themselves boosted so that our insurance will be better, and so that we won't see any more case spikes, and even if the cases increase, the number of severe cases will remain low.)

At least 19.7 million individuals have so far received their booster dose out of the 73.1 fully vaccinated Filipinos.

Salvana also urged people, especially the vulnerable sector, to keep wearing their face masks outdoors even if it is now voluntary to do so.

“Masyado pang maaga para masabi na okay lang na hindi nagma-mask sa outdoors dahil hindi pa nga tayo lampas doon sa panahon na makikita natin ‘yung full effect ng pagtatanggal ng masks sa outdoors doon sa mga hindi naman at risk population,” he added.

(It is too early to tell that it is okay not to wear masks outdoors because we are not even past that period wherein we could see the full effect of removing the mask mandate.)

On September 12, Malacañang announced that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed the executive order allowing the optional masking in open spaces and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation.

The Philippines recorded a total of 16,017 new COVID-19 cases from September 26 to October 2, 2022—this was 10% lower than the reported 17,891 cases monitored from September 19 to September 25, 2022.—AOL, GMA News