There is always a silver lining even amid the rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.

In the Philippines, it is the wide vaccination coverage and continuous delivery of jabs, both procured and donated, that prevent severe symptoms, hospitalization, and even death despite the highly transmissible Omicron variant, according to Presidential Adviser on Covid-19 response Vince Dizon on Monday.

“Ang pruweba po niyan ay hindi po ganoon kabilis ang pagpuno ng ating mga ospital (Proof of this is that our hospitals are not getting filled up that fast),” the deputy chief of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 said at the “Laging Handa” briefing.

Dizon recalled how the country grappled with the surge of Delta cases between August and September last year when the health care system was overwhelmed with symptomatic patients.

“Ang silver lining talaga natin dito ay marami nang nabakunahan (The silver lining of this is that many are now vaccinated),” he said. “Ngayon po hindi pa gaano at iyon po ay pruweba na ang ating mga bakuna ay epektibo laban sa (Now, we don’t have that much and the proof is that our vaccines are effective against) Covid-19.”

Dizon said that the country is “better off now because of the vaccines”.

“The most important thing now is that we should not lose focus. We should ramp up our vaccination efforts, especially in areas where even the first dose is not yet administered,” he added.

He urged unvaccinated individuals to avail themselves of the Covid-19 jabs, noting that they are the most vulnerable target of the Omicron variant.

The Philippines has so far administered 113,364,030 doses of coronavirus vaccines nationwide, including second doses for 52,393,229 and 3,327,416 with additional protection or booster shots. (PNA)