Senator Sonny Angara cautioned the authorities and the general public against being complacent in observing the minimum safety protocols now that the number of COVID-19 cases is going down in the country.

Last October 27, the Department of Health reported a positivity rate of 7.6 percent based on the 41,049 tests it reported on October 25.

In its latest report, the OCTA Research Group said the positivity rate in the National Capital Region has declined to five percent, the lowest rate since July 14.

The group noted that the World Health Organization considers a positivity rate of five percent or below as acceptable.

“It is encouraging to see a steady decline in the number of people getting infected with COVID-19 in the country. Hopefully this trend will continue and we can open up more sectors of our economy faster,” Angara said.

In spite of this development, Angara said the public and the government as a whole should not let their guards down because there are still a lot of people getting infected, succumbing to the virus, and new variants of the virus continue to emerge.

While the supply of vaccines is increasing, the country still has a long way to go to vaccinate a majority of its population.

As of October 25, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 reported that over 25 million Filipinos are already fully vaccinated, representing 33.65 percent of the country’s target to inoculated 70 percent of its population by year end.

The Philippines has received over 100 million doses of vaccines from various sources including COVAX and the donor countries.

“Nakikiusap tayo sa ating mga kababayan na hindi pa nababakunahan na ikonsidera na ang magpabakuna. Napatunayan na nakakapagligtas ng buhay ang mga bakuna kaya pumunta na sa inyong mga barangay at magpa iskedyul na,” Angara said.

The Senator reiterated his appeal for the DOH and local government units to go the extra mile to encourage the citizenry to get vaccinated and to bring the vaccines directly to those who cannot go out such as the senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

“We support the call of our Vaccine Czar Sec. Charlie Galvez for LGUs to be more creative and flexible in its efforts to vaccinate its constituents. Many LGUs have successfully conducted house-to-house vaccinations to cater to the senior citizens and other eligible individuals. They could serve as models of best practices that the other LGUs could emulate,” Angara said.

The government is steadily easing its quarantine restrictions in the NCR and other regions, which would result in the opening up of more economic activities, particularly for the fully vaccinated individuals.

Angara reminded the public to continue observing the minimum safety protocols such as wearing face masks and to practice social distancing while outside of their homes even if they have already been vaccinated.

“Tayo ay nasa gitna pa din ng pandemiya kaya mag-ingat pa din tayo at magpa bakuna na sa mas madaling panahon,” Angara said.