“Kailangan lahat ng papasok mula sa ibang bansa kahit galing green or red countries ay dapat mag quarantine at magpatest upang masiguradong madedetect natin agad ang bagong variant kapag nakapasok sa bansa,” Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Sen. Dick Gordon said.

PRC’s COVID-19 response team already began its preparation once the Omicron variant, a new variant of concern, enters the country. Chairman Gordon also pushes to ramp up the testing to ensure the viral spread is accurate and real-time low.

PRC recently surpassed the 5 million mark for COVID-19 RT-PCR tests, accounting for 20% of the country’s national testing output. According to Sen. Gordon, we must not stop and encourage everyone to get tested regularly, because it is through the RT-PCR that we detect the virus.

PRC also participated in the National Vaccination days to support the local government unit in vaccinating more people as soon as possible. Through the 3-day vaccination drive. PRC vaccinated more than 54,559 individuals through its 17 Bakuna Buses and 25 Bakuna Centers nationwide.

“We must get vaccinated to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Sa papalapit na pasko siguraduhin natin na tayo ay mag practice ng health protocols, tayo ay bakunado at nagpatest upang maiwasan ang hawaan at maprotektahan ang mahal natin sa buhay,” Gordon said.