DTI Sec. Lopez says supposed medicine shortages not a concern

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez on Monday said there have been no reported shortages of medicines in the country so far amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, contrary to posts circulating online claiming scarcity in drugstore supplies.

According to Lopez, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has yet to receive any reports of shortages, specifically for paracetamol.

“Wala po kaming natatanggap na report on the shortage, lalo na ‘yung mga paracetamol. Wala ho, ang dami ho niyan, tsaka ang dami pang generics niyan, so hindi po concern ‘yun,” he said during the Laging Handa public briefing.

[We have not yet received any reports on the shortage, especially for paracetamol. None, we have a lot of supplies of that, a lot of generic branded paracetamol, so that is not a concern.]

Lopez was asked regarding the supply of medicines, as a number of posts circulating online have shown that drugstores no longer have several drugs for flu and colds.

The trade secretary also assured that there are enough supplies of oxygen tanks amid the shift back to Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila, given the increase in COVID-19 cases.

“Hopefully itong cases ng Omicron would be cases na hindi aabot sa severity, hindi magiging malala and would require oxygen,” he said.

[Hopefully these Omicron cases would not reach severity and would not get worse that would need oxygen.]

The National Capital Region returned to Alert Level 3 starting Monday, January 3, which will last until January 15, 2022, following the steep increase in new COVID-19 infections in the country.

The Philippines on Sunday recorded 4,600 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s active case tally to 21,418. The total caseload now stands at 2.851 million which includes 2.778 million recoveries, and 51,570 deaths. —KG, GMA News