Senator Bong Go renewed his call to fellow Filipinos to get inoculated against COVID-19, once eligible, and strictly adhere to the government’s minimum health protocols as the Department of Health reported that the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, also known as “Kraken,” was detected in the country.
Go, who heads the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, reiterated the importance of remaining vigilant and disciplined as the fight against COVID-19 continues.
“Sa ngayon, naiulat nga po ‘yung sinasabing Kraken na bagong variant, naiulat po through WHO na mayroon pong natuklasang bagong variant na naman po ng COVID-19, ito pong XBB.1.5 (and it) is the most transmissible so far. Pero hindi naman po daw nagko-cause ng severe sickness so far ito. Para po sa akin, ako po ay ineengganyo ko kayo na magpabakuna po dahil tanging bakuna lamang po ang solusyon para makabalik tayo sa normal na pamumuhay at mas protektado kayo kapag bakunado,” the legislator said.
“At kung qualified na kayo sa booster, magpa-booster na po kayo dahil ‘yun po ang ating proteksyon. Panlaban natin ang bakuna sa COVID-19. So whether transmissible po itong variant na ito, importante po bakunado tayo, mas protektado po tayo,” the lawmaker stressed.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Kraken is the most transmissible Omicron strain to date. The said subvariant has been detected in 59 countries across six continents since it was first identified in the United States back in October 2022.
Meanwhile, the Philippines and South Korea are the only countries in Asia that officially announced domestic cases of XBB.1.5. According to DOH, the Philippines has detected three patients infected with Kraken as of writing.
“Huwag ho nating sayangin ang pagkakataon, magpabakuna kayo para protektado kayo.”
Continuing his appeal, the senator reiterated, “Paigtingin natin ang pagpapabakuna sa ating bansa at kooperasyon po ng bawat Pilipino. Ibig sabihin, kapag qualified na po kayo sa booster shots, magpa-booster na kayo. Libre naman po ito sa gobyerno, nandidiyan ang supply, sobra-sobra na nga, minsan nae-expire na nga. Huwag ho nating sayangin ang pagkakataon, magpabakuna kayo para protektado kayo.”
As he underscores the need for the country to always be one-step ahead, Go called on his fellow lawmakers to continue supporting his twin bills, Senate Bill Nos. 195 and 196, which seek to establish the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP), respectively.
If SBN 195 is passed into law, the CDC will lead the investigation of potential cases of public health emergencies; enforcement of regulations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases; procurement and distribution of vaccines, antibiotics, and other medical supplies; and coordination with other countries and international organizations to improve disease prevention and control systems and practices.
Meanwhile, the proposed VIP will serve as the principal laboratory of the country in providing virology laboratory investigations, research, and technical coordination of the entire network of virology laboratories nationwide. SBN 196 also provides guidelines for the establishment and operation of testing, reference and biosafety Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 research laboratories throughout the country.
The VIP is envisioned to accelerate the development of and expand access to new vaccines against diseases such as COVID-19 and ensure the country has sufficient emergency stockpile of vaccine doses.
“As the COVID-19 virus continues to threaten our health and safety, we should use this time to review the lessons we learned.”
“As the COVID-19 virus continues to threaten our health and safety, we should use this time to review the lessons we learned, reevaluate our capabilities, improve our efforts and consider new legislative solutions that will strengthen our response to future public health emergencies,” Go said.
“This is a learning experience for all of us. But as we move forward, we need better foresight to successfully re-assess what institutional practices we need to change, institutions we need to further strengthen, and make long-lasting plans not only for our recovery but also for our sustainable future,” he concluded.
