Galvez: Philippines has overcome Omicron COVID-19 challenge

Philippine officials on Monday declared that the country has hurdled the threat of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as the National Capital Region and 38 other areas eased to Alert Level 1 on March 1.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez drew attention to the fact that the least stringent COVID-19 alert level was attained in the said areas exactly a year after the Philippines started its vaccination program against COVID-19. 

"Finally, nalagpasan natin ang pagsubok na dala ng Omicron," Galvez reported at President Rodrigo Duterte's Talk to the People program.

"NCR and 38 areas will begin the roadmap to the new normal starting tomorrow exactly one year after we started the vaccination program," he added.

Galvez's announcement was met with applause by members of the Cabinet present.

The vaccine czar thanked the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the National Task Force on COVID-19 response, the National Vaccine Operations Center, local government units, the private sector, foreign partners, and the Filipino people for the country overcoming Omicron. 

Galvez said it was on February 28 that the first vaccine doses from China and that the vaccine rollout started on March 1.

He, however, called for continued vigilance to guide LGUs self-regulate, manage and live with the virus.

Galvez's presentation showed that the government would observe the implementation of Alert Level 1 while continuing the aggressive vaccination efforts.

The highly contagious Omicron variant caused an exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 cases after the Christmas holidays in 2021, prompting the imposition of stringent measures as high as Alert Level 4 in some areas.

The number of cases increased but unlike in the surge caused by the Delta variant in late 2021, the Omicron-driven spike in cases didn't cause a similar increase in hospitalizations and deaths.

Government officials credited the vaccination efforts and the relatively mild COVID-19 variant for the decrease in cases observed in February.

Galvez said the government would seek the elderly who have yet to be vaccinated, vaccinate children five to 11 years old, and provide boosters to seniors and persons with comorbidities.

Under Alert Level 1, all establishments, persons, or activities are permitted to operate at 100% capacity. Vaccination requirement, however, will stay for indoor activities, according to Lopez.

"Magbubukas ang ekonomiya but less ang restrictions [The economy will open but there will be less restrictions]," Lopez said.

Requirements for intrazonal and interzonal travels will also be lessened, the Trade chief said.

"Wala na yung requirement na RT-PCR [test], yung mga PNP clearance. Pero malaking bagay pa rin yung vaccination card," Lopez said.

(Requirements like RT-PCR and PNP clearance will be removed but vaccination cards will still be needed.)

Last Thursday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the National Capital Region (NCR) was ready to deescalate to an Alert Level 1 given its current metrics.

Duque noted that 83% of the NCR’s senior citizens had been vaccinated, while over 100% of its target population were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. —NB, GMA News