Is the Philippines equipped enough to meet the end of the Covid-19 pandemic?

Nearly three years after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, a glimmer of hope has emerged as the World Health Organization (WHO) disclosed that the end of this viral disease is “in sight.”

WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus aired this statement on Wednesday, Sept. 14, after the organization saw a dramatic drop in reported Covid-19 cases — the lowest since March 2020 – adding that the world has never been “in a better place to end the pandemic.”

With this development, he urged the world to “seize the opportunity” and strengthen their guard against the infectious disease.

Following this statement, Filipino health reform advocate Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon said this vision is good news. The expert, however, added that in order to meet the end of the pandemic there should be concrete strategies and policies as pointed out by Ghebreyesus in his speech.

“Magandang balita ‘yan kasi ito ang first upbeat assessment ng World Health Organization since March 2020. Ang question doon are we ready for that? We are not ready. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel pero mahaba pa ito (That is good news because this was the first upbeat assessment reported by WHO since March 2020. The question is are we ready for that? We are not ready. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel but it is still long),” said Leachon in an interview over DZRH on Friday, Sept. 16.

In order to win against the pandemic, Ghebreyesus laid out important policies. Among these recommendations include investing in the 100 percent vaccination of individuals who are “at risk” for Covid-19, the continuous adherence to minimum public health standards, the continuous testing and sequencing for the virus, as well as ensuring the availability of anti-viral treatments.

“Samakatuwid, makakamtan natin ang tinatawag na “end of Covid-19 pandemic” kung hindi tayo padalos-dalos sa ating moves. Kailangan meron tayong vision at strategy. Maaari pa ring magkaroon ng surges depende sa response (In short, we will achieve the so-called “end of the Covid-19 pandemic” if we are not hasty in our moves. We need to have a vision and strategy. There may still be surges depending on the response),” said Leachon.

On vaccination, masking, and other Covid-19 policies

Given the aforementioned policies, Leachon reiterated that the Philippines is still not qualified to meet the end of the pandemic.

To further prove his point, Leachon said the national government’s “mixed messaging” only confuses the public. He was pertaining to the recent voluntary outdoor masking policy amid the country’s low booster rate and the extension of the Covid-19 state of calamity imposed throughout the Philippines.

The country, according to Leachon, is barely passing the policies given by WHO.

“Sa ‘yan ay hindi tayo okay. Although nakikita natin ang light at the end of the tunnel at nakikita natin ang end in sight, dapat ang ay nakalatag. Malayong malayo pa tayo (We are not at par with these policies. Although we see the light at the end of the tunnel and we see the end in sight, strategies must still be laid out. We are still a long way from the end of the pandemic),” he reiterated.

The expert then urged the public to continue wearing face masks, stressing that this should be the public’s “patriotic response” amid the ongoing health crisis.