Five days before the Philippine Elections 2022 and President Rodrigo Duterte urged the Filipino voters to get booster shots against COVID-19 before the election day on May 9 to protect against the virus.
"You know, 'yung booster shots ninyo, it's still available at anybody can have it, because it's election time. There will be a 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 stated during the recorded "Talk to the People" aired on Tuesday, May 3.
According to the PH vaccine tracker report by Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., there are a total of 67,911,464 individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while, 13,231,643 individuals received a third dose, or first booster shot. As of May 2, there are a total of 7,430 individuals that have already received their fourth COVID-19 dose since the government began its roll out last week.
While we are still fighting with COVID-19, Duterte said that it is not as "serious" as before, but also advised the public to not be complacent. He said that he would not oblige the unvaccinated Filipinos to be vaccinated, but then warned about the risk of acquiring serious health disease and even death.
As the Department of Health (DOH) informed the public about the recently detected variant, Omicron-BA.2.12, many Filipinos are worried that there might be a lockdown after the elections.
DOH reassures that the country's surveillance systems can detect new cases and characterize their lineage, and if protocols are maintained, lockdowns are "unlikely" to happen.
However, with how the government responds to COVID-19, we are not sure what will happen afterward. So, in the upcoming #Halalan2022, choosing the right candidate to vote for is vital. However, it is also important to prioritize health protection protocols by getting a vaccine and boosters and properly wearing masks.
