GO TO GOVT: ENSURE SUPPLY OF MEDICINES

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Wednesday urged the government to ensure the supply of basic medicines, following reports that some drug stores have run out of paracetamol and other flu and cold medicines.

“Gawin po natin ang ating magagawa para masiguro na tuluy-tuloy ang supply ng gamot sa bansa. Dapat rin pong maging accessible ang mga ito sa lahat lalo na sa mga mahihirap (We must do everything to ensure the continuous supply of medicines in the country and make it accessible to all especially to the poor),” Go said.

Following the spike in Covid-19 cases possibly driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant and increased mobility during the holiday season, the Department of Health (DoH) said it is coordinating with the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure the supply of basic medicines.

The DoH previously assured the public that there was no paracetamol shortage happening and that the generic versions of the drug abound.

Go advised the public to refrain from hoarding, stockpiling and panic buying, stressing that people should buy only as they need.

“Kung gusto natin bumalik sa normal na pamumuhay at talunin ang kalaban na hindi natin nakikita, kailangan ang disiplina at kooperasyon ng lahat (We need everyone’s discipline and cooperation if we want to return to our normal way of living and defeat an unseen enemy),” he said, adding the importance of observing standard health protocols and getting vaccinated.

As of January 10, the Philippines has administered more than 114.26 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines out of the 213.65 million doses it procured.

To date, 52.85 million of the country’s target population had been fully vaccinated, 57.88 million were partially vaccinated and around 3.58 million boosters shots were administered.