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| A centenarian, Juliana Dumo, 101, a resident of Barangay Bonfal West, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, receives her first dose of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine from Dr. Jerraliza Tannagan, chief of the town’s Municipal Health Office on June 8, 2021. (Photo by Victor Martin/ The Star) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] MANILA — The Department of Health said fully-vaccinated senior citizens must continue following health protocols such as face mask-wearing after the government allowed older people living in areas under general community quarantine and modified GCQ to leave their homes, PhilStar reported. Senior citizens are now allowed to move within their zone but interzonal travel remains prohibited, except for point-to-point travel.
Fully-vaccinated elderly must still wear face masks and shields, observe physical distance with others, and avoid crowded places, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing Friday. “You are allowed to go out but be careful. You should still comply with our minimum public health protocols so you won’t get infected,” Vergeire said in Filipino. The DOH official also urged other senior citizens to get inoculated so they can also leave their homes.
For over a year, older people were told to stay home because they are at higher risk of developing severe illness if they contract COVID-19. As of June 6, only 369,387 senior citizens have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Only 1.55% of the country’s roughly 110 million population have completed vaccination against COVID-19, while 4.26% have received the first of two doses of the vaccine.
