The Department of Health (DOH) said the Philippines is ready should the World Health Organization (WHO) declare the end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the WHO Emergency Committee is set to meet on January 27 to consider whether COVID-19 still represents a global emergency, three years after the pandemic was declared, GMA News reported.
Vergeire, quoted by GMA News, said that if the state of public health emergency will be lifted, the country will remain “cautious and vigilant” against the coronavirus, and will still be imposing the same restrictions.
“If and when the public health emergency will be lifted, we know that the virus will be here to stay. The Philippines will continue to be cautious and vigilant and we will still be imposing these same restrictions we have right now which is not so much strict, but nandiyan ‘yung safeguard natin [the safeguards are there] that any time the cases will increase, we have our safeguards that we can rely on and we can impose para mas protektado ang Pilipino [so Filipinos will be more protected],” the DOH official said.
She added that “in the event that the public health emergency is lifted, the Philippines, through the national government, is ready and continues to prepare so that we can better protect our countrymen.”
The WHO in December expressed hope that COVID-19 would no longer be a global health emergency at some point in 2023. The WHO also urged China to share information that could pinpoint how the pandemic started.
The DOH meanwhile said eight Filipino travelers from China who tested positive for COVID-19 have already completed their isolation period.
Vergeire said most of the patients were asymptomatic, while some had shown mild symptoms of COVID-19.
Based on the country’s current COVID-19 protocols, patients are discharged from isolation if they are not exhibiting symptoms of the disease after 7 days.
The DOH has identified 89 passengers as close contacts of the 8 Filipino travelers.
“As to those close contacts of these 8 individuals, wala ng nag-develop further pa ng symptoms. Wala na rin tayong nakuhang positibong individual (As to those close contacts of these 8 individuals, no one developed further symptoms. No one else tested positive.),” she said.
Four of the 8 Filipino travelers were found to have been infected with omicron subvariants BF.7 and BA.5.2. China has experienced a new wave of coronavirus infections after it ditched its zero-COVID-19 policy in December. Willie Casas
