Senate pressed to convene body to stop virus spread

THE Senate leadership was asked to convene the Committee of the Whole soonest to promptly come up with options to enable concerned government authorities to effectively contain the spread of the deadly Covid-19 contagion.

Senator Nancy Binay said on Thursday Senate leaders may need to convene the Senate Committee of the Whole to tackle pending remedial concerns over Covid-19 as soon as the 19th Congress opens.

The senator raised in a statement the possibility that soon as the 19th Congress opens, “we can convene the Committee of the Whole para mabalikan ang mga pending issues and concerns regarding Covid-19 like vaccination programs, access to boosters, status of our healthcare workers, health and pandemic statistics, level of preparedness, exit plans, etc.,” Binay noted as calls to require Filipinos to get booster shots have surfaced amid another surge in Covid-19 cases.

The country recorded an average of 1,467 cases daily from July 4 to 10.

She added that only 15.34 million Filipinos out of an eligible population of 40 million have so far availed of booster shots that experts say provide additional protection against the virus.

This, even as the Department of Health warned that the surge, Binay noted, could hit its peak of up to 11,000 new infections by the end of July, with increased hospital admissions by August to September.

At the same time, the senator affirmed her support for the government’s booster drive, especially in the face of pandemic fatigue and vaccine complacency. This, as she noted that, “Sa ngayon, everyone’s experiencing pandemic fatigue and vaccine complacency. Dahil sa pagbaba ng cases noong nakaraan, people have become less vigilant.”

Still, she assured that “I support the recommendation for the third [booster] shot pero dapat maging aggressive ang DOH doon sa mga nasa priority groups, paigtingin pa lalo ang pagbabakuna sa mga isolated and remote areas.”

Moreover, Binay stressed: “What is important [is] we all agree that the paramount concern is to be fully protected from the virus.”

This as the lawmaker likewise emphasized the need to “continue revisiting and reviewing the country’s public health policies to ensure these are up-to-date and in line with international standards.”

Binay added: “In my view, at the end of the day, we need to always revisit the science behind our every decision on matters of public health like having a common index and definition of what ‘fully vaccinated’ is or should be na compliant and aligned sa World Health Organization or similar internationally-recognized and respected organizations.”