Rufus urges IATF to send more booster shots to Cagayan de Oro

HOUSE deputy speaker Rufus Rodriguez yesterday requested the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to send more vaccines to Cagayan de Oro in the wake of 4th Omicron variant case recently detected in the Philippines.

In his letter to health Secretary Francisco Duque and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Rodriguez noted the “possibility of the variant spreading” after DOH has reported 889 cases yesterday, more than double on Tuesday’s 421 cases.

“We should be more proactive and be more prepared for the entry of Omicron variant in the country,” he stressed.

Rodriguez, the Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative noted that other countries have implemented precautionary measures on the increased cases of the Omicron variant in their respective countries such as booster shots.

The house leader is requesting for additional supply of booster shots to be administered to frontline medical workers, senior citizens, persons with commodities, and frontline personnel in essential sectors in Cagayan de Oro City.

‘We need more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in Cagayan de Oro to be able to continue and further expand the administration of booster shots to the Kagay-anons, so that we will be more protected against Covid-19 and the Omicron variant,” Rodriguez explained.

It can be remembered that Rodriguez in June strongly pushed for additional vaccines for CDO as it recorded increasing cases of Covid-19. The IATF responded by sending many more vaccines to CDO after DS Rodriguez showed his anger and disappointment over the IATF inaction.

In September, last year the lawmaker was also able to secure 2,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines for free from San Miguel Corporation for Kagayanons. (Ben Balce)