MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rolled up his sleeves and received his second booster shot Wednesday in a show of confidence to encourage more Filipinos to get additional protection against COVID-19.
Marcos reiterated the importance of getting COVID-19 boosters as the Philippines recovers from the impacts of the pandemic.
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He hoped that getting his second booster dose will "trigger a reaction from our people" and help improve the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.
More than 72 million Filipinos have completed vaccination against COVID-19. However, the booster coverage remained low with only 17 million getting additional shots.
"[I am here] to show everyone that [booster] is safe and effective and it is needed as we try to open the economy, schools, trying to bring everything back to the normal situation," the 64-year-old chief executive said during a vaccination drive in Manila.
The government launched the “PinasLakas” immunization campaign in July, which seeks to administer boosters to 23.6 million individuals within the first 100 days of the Marcos administration. The drive also seeks to immunize 90% of the target senior citizen population.
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Marcos contracted COVID-19 for the second time last month.
His son, Rep. Sandro Marcos (Ilocos Norte), also received a booster shot. It is unclear whether it is the first or second booster dose of the 28-year-old lawmaker.
Only health workers, people aged 50 and up, immunocompromised adults, and individuals with comorbidities aged 18 to 49 are eligible to get their second booster shot.
Health department officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire administered the president’s booster shot, while Manila City Mayor Honey Lacuna administered the younger Marcos' additional dose.