Improve communication flow, agencies told
Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography Christopher “Bong” Go urged government agencies to improve their communication efforts and disseminate the right information to the public. Go emphasized that consistently providing timely, accurate and relevant information on COVID19-related updates and initiatives to the general public will strengthen the country’s collective efforts to overcome the ongoing health crisis.
“Let’s make sure we explain fully the information that we wish to convey,” he said.
Go stressed that timely, accurate and relevant information will improve the government’s decisionmaking process, particularly when imposing community quarantine measures and implementing initiatives to help vulnerable sectors and those most affected by the health crisis, such as returning overseas workers and locally stranded individuals who need to go back to their provinces. As the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Go said he is coordinating closely with the Department of Health to make sure that health officials are able to provide the leadership and the people timely, accurate and relevant information particularly on COVID-19 cases in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines.
“I also call upon local government units, hospitals and accredited laboratories to closely coordinate with DOH to ensure that the needed data from their end are also validated and submitted on time,” he appealed.
Go reiterated his call urging the health department and other concerned agencies to prepare a national COVID-19 vaccine program in order to ensure the accessibility and affordability of the vaccine, once it is made available, to all Filipinos, especially the poorest and most vulnerable sectors.
He reminded the public that health and safety protocols must be followed, including wearing the proper mask in public areas, social distancing, hand washing and proper hygiene, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Let’s make sure we explain fully the information that we wish to convey.
“According to experts, wearing the right kind of mask decreases the risk of spreading the virus by 85 percent. With social distancing and the use of face shields, the risk may be reduced by more than 90 percent. This is why in the absence of a vaccine, wearing a mask remains a must,” he finally explained.
The Senator reiterated his earlier appeal to the government to prioritize the provision of proper face masks to the poor, in addition to his various recommendations in response to concerns aired by the medical community in an online press conference held last 1 August.
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