To counter the Omicron variant, the National Task Force (NTF) Against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) will adopt an enhanced version of the strategy that was used to beat the Delta variant.
Under the said strategy, NTF chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said the National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon (Region 3), and Calabarzon which includes the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (Region 4A) will be “treated as one” bubble.
“We have seen that the NCR, Region 3, and Region 4A are like one gridlock. If the NCR gets overwhelmed, then we have to prepare Regions 3 and 4A as well,” Galvez said in a press briefing in Manila.
“Iyong playbook, ang worst case scenario noong Delta, iyon ang gagawin and maybe even more... twice (In our playbook, we will adopt the worst case scenario during the Delta surge and maybe even more.... twice),” he added.
The NCR was the first region to bear the brunt of the Delta-driven surge back in July of this year. Delta, according to experts, was twice as contagious as the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19.
However, Omicron was reported to be more transmissible than the Delta variant, hence, Galvez said it will be necessary to intensify the preparation.
“Normally, these two regions get NCR overwhelmed. So we will coordinate with the local government units, and city, municipal, and provincial health departments to prepare their pandemic response in a wide-scale . Meaning, malakihan na (this will be on a large-scale basis),” Galvez said.
“May playbook na tayo, itong PDITR so gagawin lang in scale kasi ang report ay mas transmissible itong Omicron (We already have a playbook, the PDITR, so we only have to do it in a scale because the report says Omicron is more transmissible),” he added.
PDITR refers to prevention, detection, isolation, treatment, and reintegration strategy of the government to contain the spread of COVID-19. This strategy was further intensified with the addition of the vaccination effort.
Part of the enhanced strategy will be to find the remaining 1.5 million senior citizens who remain unvaccinated. Galvez, also the designated vaccine czar, said most of them are located in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
The booster vaccination of healthcare workers, senior citizens, and immunocompromised individuals will also be sustained since they are the most vulnerable to infection, hospitalization, and death.
Meanwhile, pediatric vaccination of those aged 12 to 17 will also be continued as more than eight million individuals under the said category have already been inoculated, of which, around 5.2 million have been fully vaccinated.
An inventory of all quarantine facilities were also conducted to ensure there are enough facilities to cater to infected individuals.
“What we really emphasize is the enforcement . The prevention and the minimum public health standards will make a difference compared to what’s happening in the United States and Europe,” Galvez said.
“With proper masking, social distancing, and avoiding of crowded and confined spaces, there will be a quicker turnaround in case a surge happens),” he noted.