PH has funds to deal with new COVID-19 variants – DOH

The risk of COVID-19 remains low in all regions of the country, according to the Department of Health (DOH), which reported a “small” increase in coronavirus infections nationwide. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has enough funds to respond against the new COVID-19 variants, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday.

According to DOH Undersecretary Achilles Bravo, the DOH has a surplus of funds with which it can accommodate purchases for responses against the COVID-19 variants specially the FLiRT variant.

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“So what we will do is that we have so many funds at the DOH, even from the CONAP (Continuing Appropriations) in 2023 and the current. If there’s a need to provide something for the emerging COVID-19 variants, we can always make some modifications within our budget,” Bravo said at a House Committee hearing.

“Right now we are collating the savings of the DOH which we have and which we can use,” he added.

House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin likewise said that vaccines should be available as a treatment not just for the new variant, but for other common diseases that are still contagious as well.

“The preparation should go back to either vaccination if an updated version is available, but more importantly pneumonia, flu vaccines and the medicines for whoever will need it,” Garin said.

Meanwhile, DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said that the DOH is still studying the emerging COVID-19 variants especially the Kp2 and Kp3 variants of the virus.

“We have money and the headline is wrong in saying that there is no money for vaccines because to begin with, we still do not know what are the Kp2 and Kp3 variants,” Domingo said.

The COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020 which resulted in lockdowns and thousands of deaths and crippled the country’s economy and businesses in all aspects.