DOH: Philippines’ COVID-19 restrictions to ease even as WHO extends public health emergency

Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Tuesday the Philippines is no longer under the state where there should be strict COVID-19 restrictions, pointing out that cases here have remained manageable. 

Vergeire’s remark came even as the World Health Organization (WHO) maintained the declaration of the public health emergency of international concern due to the viral disease.

At a press conference, Vergeire said the agency understood all the reasons laid out by WHO as to why COVID-19 continues to cause the highest form of alert three years since it was first declared as a global health emergency.

She cited the increasing number of deaths globally due to COVID-19 which averages from 10,000 to 30,000 per day, the emergence of new variants, and the WHO’s difficulty to analyze the current COVID-19 state due to scarcity of reports and data.

“Sa atin, itong WHO declaration, we understand all the points and I think, andoon tayo sa point na cautious tayong lahat. Although alam natin manageable yung sitwasyon, but we remain to be vigilant because of the different variants na nade-detect at saka ‘yung mga iba’t ibang pagtaas ng kaso sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng mundo,” Vergeire said.

(We understand all the points for this WHO declaration and I think we are at the point where we are all cautious. Although we know the situation is manageable, we remain vigilant because of the different variants that are detected and the increases in cases in different parts of the world.)

The WHO earlier said the pandemic was likely in a “transition point” that continues to need careful management to “mitigate the potential negative consequences.”

‘Manageable’

However, for the Philippines, Vergeire stressed that the COVID-19 situation remains manageable, with a high vaccination rate and people continuously wearing their masks despite it being optional.

“It doesn't have to be that because the WHO declared globally that there is still a public health emergency, that our status should still be the same,” she said.

“We abide by the global declaration of public health emergency, but it doesn’t have to be that we are still under that state where restrictions should be there and the other implications to a public health emergency should be there. Sabi ko nga, sa ating ngayon, mukhang nakakaagapay na tayo [For now, it looks like we're getting along],” she added.

Last week, Vergeire said that hospital admissions in the country have become manageable with COVID-19 no longer among the Philippines’ Top 10 causes of deaths. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News