A panel of medical experts came up with recommendations the government can adopt to help the country transition to normalcy.
Former presidential adviser Joey Concepcion and the Advisory Council of Experts (ACE) urged the government to prepare a "pandemic exit" strategy, prompting them to craft a framework similar to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s color-coded system.
According to the panel, this alert level system adopts a “traffic light” system using Red, Yellow and Green to denote the different stages of readiness, the corresponding pre-requisite metrics using healthcare utilization rates (HCUR) and average daily attack rate (ADAR), and face mask rules for each region.
The group proposed the following:
• Ensure that at least 70 percent of those who have completed their primary vaccines are given a booster dose
• Simplify the alert level system by adapting the "traffic light approach’’
• Define each resulting restriction on activity based on its regional applicability
• Incentivize good pandemic status with relaxed masking rules, using Green – masking outdoors is optional but will remain mandatory in closed spaces and inside public transportation; Yellow – local government unit to decide masking rules with consideration to its HCUR and ADAR, and based on the capacity of the region; Red – face masks are mandatory in both indoor and outdoor situations
• Prioritize the granting of Certificates of Product Registration for Covid vaccines
“The wearing of face masks and vaccinations remain our most important defenses against the pandemic,” Concepcion said.
“Under this system, we maintain economic activity, keep our countrymen safe, and incentivize regional governments who do well in their pandemic response,” he added.
Meanwhile, ACE emphasized that it's high time the new administration comes up with a pandemic exit strategy, saying “neighboring countries’ practices and data show that we can do so without living in constant fear that we will forever live in a state of pandemic.”
The members of ACE include former National Task Force Against Covid-19 Special Adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa, Covid-19 Technical Working Group Chairperson Dr. Nina Gloriani, Vaccine Expert Panel member Dr. Rontgene Solante, infectious diseases expert Dr. Benjamin Co, Philippine College of Physicians President Dr. Maricar Limpin, health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon, OCTA Research fellows Dr. Michael Tee, Prof. Ranjit Rye, Dr. Guido David and Fr. Nic Austriaco, economist Romy Bernardo, and Go Negosyo Senior Adviser Josephine Romero.