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DOH: Marcos wants further study of alert level system
By ANNA FELICIA BAJO,GMA NewsPresident Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. wants the Department of Health to further study the alert level system amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday.
Marcos met with DOH officials on Wednesday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country. Vergeire said Marcos gave some guidance about the present alert level system as he wants the Health agency to study it further.
"As to the alert level system, napag-usapan po ito, naipresenta po with the President kung ano po 'yung ating current level system, ano po 'yung ating mga metrics and he had some form of guidance, mayroon po siyang mga komento, in-analyze niya po kung ano 'yung mga metrics natin ngayon and binigyan niya po kami ng instruction to further study this alert level para mas maging appropriate po in our situation," Vergeire explained at a Laging Handa public briefing.
(As to the alert level system, we have discussed this, we have presented to the President the current level system, our metrics, and he had some form of guidance and comments. He analyzed the metrics we have at present and he instructed us to further study the alert level so that it will be more appropriate to our situation.)
Vergeire also stressed that the chief executive wants the DOH to expand the coverage of the national government's vaccination program. With this, Vergeire said the agency would make vaccination more accessible to the public.
"Ang kanya pong gustong maitaas ay ang pagbabakuna sa ating bansa, suportado po niya ang mga response na ginagawa natin but he said that we need to further strategize regarding our expansion of our COVID-19 vaccine coverage plus siyempre gusto niyang mabantayan nating maigi itong ating COVID-19 situation sa ngayon," she said.
(Marcos wants to increase the vaccination rate in the country. He is supportive of our response but he said we need to further strategize the expansion of the COVID-19 vaccine coverage and, of course, he wants us to monitor the present COVID-19 situation.)
Asked about the schedule of the next national vaccination days, Vergeire said there is no date for it yet. She said more than 70 million people are already fully vaccinated against coronavirus.
On Thursday, the Health department recorded 1,936 new COVID-19 infections
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Vergeire said most of those infected with COVID-19 are mild and asymptomatic.
She said a booster shot does not necessarily address the "further rise" of infections, however, it will protect individuals from getting severe infections and there will be fewer individuals who will be admitted to hospitals.
"We cannot say that, and I think no. The vaccines do not block transmission. Kahit bakunado ka, nagkakasakit ka pa rin 'di ba? Pero ang pangako ng bakuna sa atin, magkasakit man tayo, we will be prevented from having severe and critical infections," Vergeire said.
(Even though you're vaccinated, you could still get sick. But the promise of vaccines, even though we get sick, we will be prevented from having severe and critical infections.)
Face-to-face classes
Meanwhile, the DOH expressed support over the plan to resume face-to-face classes. Earlier, Marcos said the Department of Education has been eyeing to begin physical classes in some schools in September before holding 100% in-person schooling by November.
"The Department of Health fully supports the opening of classes, full implementation po, we fully support that. Even our experts have given their recommendations na kailangan na pong buksan ang edukasyon para sa kabataan (our education system needs to be opened already)," Vergeire said.—AOL, GMA News