The World Health Organization has warned that vaccines will be no magic bullet for the coronavirus crisis as nations gear up for a massive rollout to tackle surging infections.

The Commission on Human Rights on Saturday admonished national police for threatening to punish Filipinos caught violating health protocols with rattan sticks.

This year, many of the biggest challenges faced by Filipinos were brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Health on Saturday confirmed 1,733 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 438,069.

Global coronavirus infections surged past 65 million on Friday even as countries doubled down on restrictions and plans to roll out vaccines gathered pace.