The government's pandemic task force has intensified its detection and isolation efforts amid the threat of the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved on August 1 the shortening of detection to isolation/quarantine interval to less than five days.
These included the conduct of active case finding in all areas, prioritizing those with clustering; the tracing of close contacts within 24 hours of detection of a case; and the immediate isolation /quarantine and testing of cases and close contacts.
It likewise included the use of rapid antigen tests for confirmation of suspect/probable case and close contacts, and Reverse Transcription - Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing for those who turned negative on rapid antigen testing.
The shortened interval involved the identification of areas with case increases or clustering by the local government units (LGUs) and regional epidemiological surveillance units and their immediate submission of samples for sequencing; ensuring that workplaces and establishments conduct daily health and exposure screening, report identified case and close contacts to the LGU, and coordinate for investigation and response; and considering incentives in workplaces to encourage reporting and adherence to isolation/quarantine.
Meanwhile, the IATF approved the implementation of giving priority to facility-based isolation and quarantine to prevent household transmission. It likewise ordered health care capacities and systems to be readily available and accessible in preparation for case spikes.
The body also sought the ramped-up vaccination among Priority Groups A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) populations with parallel efforts of vaccinating the A4 (economic frontliners) population, if resources are adequate.
There will be the strict enforcement of border control protocols at all ports of entry; continuous assessment of the COVID-19 situation at all levels; and the dissemination of information on the variants of concern and expected actions to be undertaken by individuals, establishments, and implementers.
President Duterte has approved the placing of several areas under stricter quarantine classifications due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. Metro Manila will likewise shift to the enhanced community quarantine from August 6 to 20, 2021.
The country has recorded 1,597,689 COVID-19 cases as of August 1 with 28,016 deaths and 1,506,027 recoveries.