A total of 1,151 adolescents were inoculated against COVID-19 last Friday, prompting authorities to declare the first day of the pilot run of the government’s pediatric vaccination program a “success.”

The Philippines will adhere to the recommendation of the World Health Organization to give a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised individuals and senior citizens, the Department of Health said.

Employers and labor groups are urging the government to immediately implement measures which include providing benefits to health care workers, income for employees who need to be quarantined and assistance for those affected by lockdowns, as well as to certify the Bayanihan 3 bill as urgent to support recovery from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

To address the problem of joblessness amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government should prioritize setting up an emergency employment program and food terminals in each region, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has ordered police officers in the National Capital Region to strictly implement minimum public health protocols as he warned of a possible surge in COVID-19 cases after the NCR shifted to the less stringent Alert Level 3.