QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – The Department of Health (DOH) reminded campaign rally participants to continue following minimum public health standards when attending campaign sorties for Election 2022.

“Ang paalala lang po natin sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan alam po natin this is the season to campaign, this is the season to show yung suporta niyo sa mga kandidato ngunit huwag natin kakalimutan na dapat lagi pa rin po tayong nagpapatupad ng minimum public health standards,” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Tuesday, March 22.

Vergeire added that rally participants should not take off their masks during campaign sorties and must ensure that they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The DOH also advised the vulnerable population especially senior citizens to avoid joining these political rallies as it poses risks to their health and exposure to COVID-19 virus.

“Sana po syempre itong ating nakakatanda kung maaari natin iwasan na sumama pa sa mga ganitong campaign sorties sana po ay maiwasan na rin natin para po hindi tayo magkasakit,”

Meanwhile, the DOH reported that no increase in COVID-19 cases was seen amid the political sorties held in various areas in the country.

“Based on our surveillance and close monitoring, we have not recorded nor observed any upticks in number of cases especially in areas where these political sorties are happening,” Vergeire said.

The DOH and other health experts are worried about the people attending these campaign sorties since most people are not practicing social distancing.

“Pero sa kabilang banda kapag inisip natin kung sana lahat ng pumupunta diyan ay bakunado, itong aming worry ay mababawasan because we know that vaccinated individuals will transmit less of this virus than those unvaccinated,” Vergeire cited.

As of March 21, the health department reported more than 65.2 million Filipinos now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and almost 11.6 million individuals who already had their booster shots. (JMB/PIA-IDPD)