By Pearl Gumapos
An official of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) on Thursday (March 24) said election candidates and politicians should encourage voters to get vaccinated before attending rallies.
In the Laging Handa briefing, Dr. Benito Atienza cautioned rally-goers to observe minimum public health standards during the campaign period amid the threat posed by the prevailing pandemic.
“Dapat mag-ingat po tayo kasi nakikita natin sa ibang bansa na suwerte ang Pilipinas kasi tayo ay isa sa mga [may] pinakamababa [na cases],” Atienza said, adding that those campaigning should be careful when doing house-to-house campaigning due to unvaccinated households.
Meanwhile, Atienza said the administration of the first booster or third dose should be prioritized, noting that there is still a portion of the country’s vulnerable population that remains unvaccinated.
“Mayroon pa tayong mga seniors and immunocompromised na hindi pa nababakunahan tapos itong ating mga booster doses, iyong third dose ay marami pa ring hindi nababakunahan sa general population,”he said.
“Lahat po ng vaccination centers ay may doktor doon. Kung nabigyan ng first and second dose na walang reaction, mas walang magiging problema iyong third dose,” he added. – ag
