OCTA after WHO declaration of end to COVID global health emergency: Continue advisories

Independent monitoring group OCTA Research on Saturday said public advisories should still be issued even after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 no longer represents a global health emergency.

"We should still be giving advisories sa mga kababayan natin (to our countrymen)," OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

The WHO issued the declaration on Friday, marking a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy and ravaged communities, Reuters reported.

"Sinasabi ng WHO, they make it clear na 'yung global state of emergency 'yung nagtapos. COVID is still here and nasa individual countries na 'yung management ng pandemic... Hindi na pandemic siguro dahil walang state of emergency, pero 'yung management ng disease...," David said.

(The WHO said they are making it clear that it is the global state of emergency that ended. COVID is still here and it is up to individual countries to manage the pandemic. It's maybe not a pandemic anymore because there is no more state of emergency, but the management of disease [has to continue].)

The OCTA Research fellow added that the COVID situation now is not the same as it was in 2020 or 2021.

"'Yung situation ngayon sa COVID is not the same noong 2020... 2021... Iba na ang situation ngayon," he said.

However, it does not mean that COVID-19 should no longer be given attention, David added.

"We have to wait for the official announcement ng WHO [kung endemic na ang COVID-19]... I think ganyan na rin more or less 'yung messaging... na it's not an emergency for what it was once... More or less, manageable na 'yung disease," he said.

"Dapat patuloy pa rin ang mga paalala at abiso sa publiko kaugnay sa COVID-19 para makapaghanda kung sakaling may pagtaas ng mga kaso," David added.

He also said the number of COVID-19 infections reported by the Department of Health may not represent the whole picture given that some countrymen use antigen tests and do not report the results.

"Mas kakaunti ang nate-test, mas kaunti ang nakikitang cases... Mas marami ang hindi nagpapa-test... 'Yung mga antigen test result, hindi nare-report sa database," David said.

"We estimate na 'yung true number of infections ay 10 to 20 times higher... Kung mayroon tayong 1,500 cases reported yesterday, baka 10 times higher, baka 15,000 na pala 'yun," he added.

But what is good to note is that there are fewer severe and critical COVID-19 cases and fewer cases leading to hospitalizations, David added.

"Walang danger na ma-overwhelm ang hospitals. Although tumaas slightly sa Metro Manila... Nothing to panic about," he said.

David said authorities should continue monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases as the virus can still mutate and evolve into something worse anytime.

He also encouraged the public, particularly senior citizens and those with comorbidities, to take extra caution to prevent contracting COVID-19.

"Kahit wala na ang state of emergency, nandiyan pa rin ang virus," he added. —KG, GMA Integrated News