The Covid-19 situation in the Philippines is currently at a "manageable" status, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire made the assessment amid the decision of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the Covid-19 virus "continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)."
"We are confident to say that our cases are manageable because our hospitals are not having increases in their admissions, our severe and critical infections are at that stable point," Vergeire said in a press briefing on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
“In totality pagtiningnan natin (when we look at it), we are better prepared compared to before. We can say that dito sa atin manageable na ang mga kaso (cases here are now manageable),” she added.
Vergeire also cited that Filipinos have already “adopted a good behavior” of wearing face masks and the vaccination rate for primary doses is at 94 percent.
However, the DOH understands the decision of the WHO to still classify the Covid-19 pandemic as PHEIC as there remains a threat on emergence of new variants, an average of 10,000 to 30,000 deaths per day globally, as well as the "scarcity of reports and data" about Covid-19 in other countries, said Vergeire.
"We understand all the points and I think andun tayo sa punto ngayon na cautious lahat (we are at the point now that everyone is cautious)," she said.
With the current situation in the Philippines, Vergeire believes that it is not anymore necessary to implement strict restrictions for Covid-19 here. Although, the DOH is still guided by the WHO.
“It doesn't have to be that because the WHO declares globally that there is still a public health emergency, that our status should still be the same. What I mean would be, we will be guided by the WHO, kasi international (because it is international),” she said.
“We abide by the global declaration of public health emergency, but it doesn’t have to be that we are still under that state where restrictions should be there and the other implications to a public health emergency should be there. Sabi ko nga, sa ating ngayon, mukhang nakakaagapay na tayo (As I've said, it looks like we are able to cope up),” she added.
The DOH assured that they will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation in the Philippines and in other countries.
"We remain to be cautious and vigilant because of the different variants na nadedetect at yung ibang pagtaas ng kaso sa ibat-ibang bahagi ng mundo (that are being detected and the other increase in cases in different parts of the world)," she added.