Philippine government urges Filipinos to get Covid-19 vaccine; total nears 484,000

A Catholic priest is seen on an electronic screen as he officiates a mass in Quiapo church in downtown Manila, Philippines on the eve of the Black Nazarene feast day, Friday Jan. 8, 2021. - AP

MANILA, Jan 8 (Xinhua): The Philippines' Department of Health on Friday urged Filipinos to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available, saying the vaccines are safe.

"Let me just assure you that the government will ensure that the vaccines that will come in the country will be safe and efficacious," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told an online briefing.