SEN. Christopher Lawrence 'Bong' Go gave assurances the government will continue to balance the need to protect the health of the people while reopening the economy amid the pandemic.

'Ginagawa naman po ng gobyerno ang lahat ng dapat (The government is doing everything necessary),' he said when he attended the Day of the Seafarers 2021 event at the Marina Building, in Port Area, Manila on Friday.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography said data showed big improvement in the implementation of quarantine measures.

'It is important that our health care system will not collapse. It is important our hospitals will not reach full capacity. That would be scary, that they (patients) would be forced to wait outside the hospitals because they have nowhere to go anymore,' he said.

Go said there is 'light at the end of the tunnel' as the government hopes to vaccinate more Filipinos and reach herd immunity soon.

He cited the case in the United States wherein basketball fans of the NBA can now attend games. In other countries, fully vaccinated citizens are now allowed to assemble.

Go raised the importance of sticking to the list of groups and sectors prioritized for the vaccination against Covid-19.

He urged those who are qualified for vaccination to not waste the opportunity and get their shot soon.

Go also said seafarers will be administered vaccines acceptable in their countries of destination. This would allow them to return to work immediately, given requirements as part of their employment particularly when it comes to vaccination.

'In the case of our seafarers, we received reports that some countries do not allow entry to foreign visitors who were not vaccinated with their preferred specific brands. That's why our government ensures [that they would be inoculated with the said specific brand] to encourage the seafarers to vaccinate,' he said.

The government, he added, will continue to expedite and even out the distribution of vaccines to ensure fairness and efficiency of rollout.

Go urged law enforcement authorities to intensify the fight against those offering fake vaccines, saying they pose danger to the health of Filipinos and the overall fight against Covid-19.

On Thursday, authorities were informed some individuals in Pasay City allegedly distributed fliers claiming fake vaccines were being administered in some areas.