DOH says COVID-19 pandemic not yet over after global health emergency lifting

Gaea Katreena Cabico - Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The public should not be complacent as the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, the Department of Health said Tuesday following the move of the World Health Organization to end the global emergency status for the coronavirus crisis.

Last week, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed millions of people and wreaked economic and social havoc, no longer constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern.” PHEIC is the WHO’s highest level of alert.

“Even though the WHO has already lifted the PHEIC status, they didn’t say the pandemic is already over,” Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

“We want to remind everyone that even though the PHEIC has been lifted, we cannot be complacent at this point. We still need to be vigilant,” she added.

For Marcos' approval

The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, which the DOH chairs, met Monday to discuss the impacts of the WHO declaration and the policies that will be affected.

Vergeire did not disclose the task force’s recommendations, but said these will be submitted to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. next week for his consideration and approval.

“For now, all policies based on the president’s executive orders and other IATF resolutions shall still be in effect until otherwise repealed,” she said.

The WHO first declared PHEIC over the crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, and classified it a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on March 8, 2020 declared a state of public health emergency due to COVID-19, allowing national and local government agencies to implement urgent and critical measures to contain the spread of the virus, and mitigate its effects to the community. This declaration is yet to be lifted.

“We are going to align whatever existing policies there are if the public health emergency is lifted,” Vergeire said.

In anticipation of the possible lifting of the country’s public health emergency over COVID-19, vaccine manufacturers are being encouraged to apply for certificate of product registration as the Food and Drug Administration will no longer be able to issue emergency use authorization for jabs, the health official said.

A CPR is issued by the FDA to manufacturers to distribute, market or sell their products to the public.

Increase in cases

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are on the rise, with the DOH reporting 9,465 infections in the past week. There were 12,161 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday.

“Although we have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, this does not translate to an increase in hospital admissions, severe and critical cases remain low, and many of the cases are mild,” Vergeire said.

According to Vergeire, 96% of these cases were either mild, asymptomatic or moderate, and the country’s healthcare utilization rate remains at low risk.

The Philippines has confirmed over 4.1 million COVID-19 infections, with more than 66,000 deaths, since the pandemic began in early 2020.