PH heading to endemic response vs COVID? Officials say possible

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Denmark’s decision to drop COVID-related restrictions, including the mandatory wearing of face masks, made waves across the world, sparking discussions of the infection may become an endemic soon.

Here in the Philippines, officials from the national government’s anti-COVID task force expressed optimism that the country is heading towards the same direction.

Members of the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, said the policy the government is currently taking is geared towards treating the infection as an endemic. 

Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of NTF, said they are planning to start preparing protocols that will guide the government in transitioning from a pandemic setting to an endemic. 

“Sinasabi nang experts maybe March. But in February, we would like to prepare na yung plano para at least when times come nakita natin yung threshold, there is a very low incidence, so we are ready,” said Galvez. 

Galvez also pointed out that recent policies made by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) such as repealing mandatory, facility-based quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers from abroad, were also designed to anticipate this possibility. 

“Hopefully, if we are able to vaccinate more, then we are very confident. When we have a greater vaccination rate, mas mapabilis,” he explained. 

“Most likely pagdating nang panahon, ano natin more is tinatawag natin na self regulation…May certain confidence of the figures, yung threshold (nang transmission), pwede na tayung makampante,” he added. 

However, the officials stressed that they will wait for advice from health experts before implementing such policies. 

“We in the IATF and NTF, we do not act without the advice of experts. And if the experts are saying we are leading towards an endemic… then we will have to start planning that as early as now,” said Sec. Vivencio Dizon, NTF deputy chief implementer. 

Dizon also said that as of the moment, their priority is to suppress Omicron-driven surges in some parts of the Philippines, including Cebu. 

“Pero right now, (what we’re doing) is really to help our areas all over the country that are still surging. And there are still some areas in Visayas and Mindanao na mataas ang kaso so tulungan natin sila,” he said.

“Once we reach a level na mababa na ang kaso, like late last year, pwede na natin pag-usapan yung transition to an endemic response… kKailangan handa tayo. Bilis mag evolve nung virus kaya kailanagan dyan laging handa and may advise binibigay nang experts,” he added. 

Denmark bid goodbye to face masks and health passes on Tuesday as it became the first European Union country to lift all of its domestic Covid curbs despite record numbers of cases of the milder Omicron variant.

Only a few restrictions remain in place at the country’s borders, for unvaccinated travelers arriving from non-Schengen countries.

After a first attempt at lifting restrictions between September and November, the Scandinavian country once again ditched its Covid checks and limited opening hours for bars and restaurants. / with reports from Agence France Presse

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