Palace: 1.5 million unvaccinated seniors vs. COVID-19 might put health facilities at risk

Malacañang on Friday called on the 1.5 million unvaccinated senior citizens to get inoculated against COVID-19, saying they might put the country at risk.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles made the appeal in the aftermath of the country posting a 6.6% COVID-19 positivity rate and recording at least four cases of the more transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

"We have 210 million COVID-19 vaccine doses delivered [so far]. The numbers speak for themselves. Get the message: it is time to get your jabs. The 1.5 million seniors who are unvaccinated, kaya po nitong punuin ang ating mga ospital (this can fill up our hospitals)," Nograles said.

"We cannot be complacent, we cannot take anything for granted. The Omicron threat is real. Pabakuna po tayo para iwas-ospital sa 2022 (Get vaccinated against COVID-19 so you won't end up in hospitals),"  added.

Two weeks ago, the government also approved the administration of COVID-19 booster shot three months after the two-dose vaccine and two-months after the single shot Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.

At least 50 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez on Friday, a figure short of the government target of fully vaccinating 54 million Filipinos by year end.

"This [surge of cases] is not how we want to start 2022 so we should keep wearing face mask, wash our hands, maintain social distancing and please get vaccinated," Nograles added.—AOL, GMA News