Department of Health (DOH) Central Luzon is encouraging the public to get COVID-19 booster shots amid the threat of the Omicron variant.

DOH Regional Director Corazon Flores emphasized that the extra dose can be inoculated in an interval of three months for all the vaccine brands, except the single-dose Janssen which can be given after two months.

“To all our kababayans in Central Luzon, to further strengthen your immunity against COVID-19 especially on the new Omicron variant, I am encouraging all of you to get vaccinated… You can go to the vaccination centers in your communities to avail your booster doses,” she said.

The agency is now prioritizing the inoculation of the Janssen vaccine to the remaining unvaccinated population especially A2, A3, and A5; completing all due second doses; and vaccinating all pediatric population to curb the spread of the highly transmissible variant.

Also, DOH is bent on finding all the unvaccinated population by means of coordination activities and mobilization of health and non-health personnel for the augmentation of service delivery, and conduct of community engagement activities in the barangay level to encourage people to get vaccinated.

“To those who have not yet completed their vaccine doses, I encourage you to go to the different vaccination centers in your area. We have a lot of vaccines, so you have to get yourselves vaccinated to complete our vaccination roll out. Also, I am appealing to those who are not yet vaccinated to please get the jabs for your own protection, and your family,” Flores pressed.

In the region, about 7,127,237 or 81.36 percent of the targeted 8.7 million to be vaccinated for 70 percent target population already received their first dose; while 6,240,192 or 71.24 percent are already fully protected, as of January 7. (PIA 3)