Senators see the need for more coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccinations and booster shots as the number of cases in the country starts to rise again.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Wednesday urged the government to strengthen its information campaign on Covid-19 vaccination, saying this should cover as many qualified individuals as possible.

“We have done well the past year in acquiring sufficient vaccine supply but we must amplify these efforts further in order to reach areas with low vaccination rates,” he said.

Go also wants Filipinos to be provided with all the right information they need to make the right decision in having themselves vaccinated.

“Bukod sa sapat na supply, awareness and access sa mga bakunang ito ang kailangan upang hindi masayang ang ating pinaghirapan. Kung pwede ay dalhin natin ang tamang impormasyon at mismong bakuna sa mga kabahayan lalo na sa mga liblib na lugar (Apart from ample supply, awareness and access to these vaccines are needed so that our efforts would not go to waste. If possible, let us bring the right information and the vaccines to their doorsteps, especially in remote areas),” he added.

As of July 10, a total of 71,055,752 Filipinos have been fully vaccinated and 15,342,652 of them have already received their booster shots, the Department of Health recorded.

The department further said a total of 10,271 new cases have been logged from July 4 to 10, which is about 39 percent more than the cases reported the previous week.

With this, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante suggested during Monday’s Laging Handa briefing that the country’s general population should be required to get Covid-19 booster shots for added protection at work and school.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada agreed with the proposal but preferred to require it only for adults.

“We have already proven that Covid vaccines protect us against the worst case of coronavirus infection. Now that we are seeing again an increase in cases and the positivity rate, as we also expect the waning of (the) potency of vaccines, which were administered six months ago, it is the duty of the government to decide swiftly (upon the advice of our health experts),” Estrada said in a statement on Tuesday.

The returning senator warned that if urgent measures would not be implemented, another wave of economic recession and hardships could result from another Covid-19 surge. (PNA)