The Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19will study the possibility of allowing fully vaccinated people to go out in public without face masks, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said Monday.
The tourism and foreign affairs departments make up the small working group to discuss the matter, said Usec. Rosario Vergeire, as she cautioned that there is no sufficient evidence to show that vaccination can block the transmission of the coronavirus.
"If you ask me, this is my opinion, I would not recommend it at this point because of all the evidence that we have right now, that even though we are fully vaccinated, we can still transmit the infection and we can still be infected," she said.
Countries like the U.S. and Israel have allowed vaccinated residents to go out without wearing face masks. Vergeire said the Philippines couldn't be compared to these countries as it has yet to vaccinate much of its population.
The country has administered five million vaccines so far, which covers full immunization or two shots for around one million people, vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez said. The target is to immunize 50 million people this year.
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