COVID-19 pandemic not yet over, says DOH

WALL REMINDER People wearing face masks as protection against COVID-19 are depicted in murals in Pasig City. The Department of Health says it is not keen on bringing back the government’s mask policy even with the increase in COVID cases. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will submit to President Marcos by next week its recommendations on the next direction for the country’s COVID-19 response in the wake of the lifting of the global health emergency status on the novel coronavirus by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a press conference, Department of Health (DOH) officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire revealed that the IATF convened on Monday to discuss whether the country would take its cue from WHO and also lift the state of public health emergency that remains in force through Proclamation No. 922.

However, the recommendations are still confidential, she said, as the advisory body has yet to submit them to the President. The IATF is led by the DOH.

Vergeire earlier noted that vaccination procurement and the pandemic benefits of health-care workers would be affected should the health emergency status be revoked.

The state of public health emergency, which was declared in March 2020, remains in effect until withdrawn or lifted by the President.

But even as the pandemic advisers moved to rethink the country’s policies following the WHO declaration, Vergeire asserted on Tuesday that the “COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over.”

The health official advised the public that “we cannot be complacent at this point.” INQ

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