The Department of Health (DOH) said the public must learn to assess their own Covid-19 risk and make choices on how to better protect themselves against this viral disease.
The DOH said that the public needs to increase their risk tolerance against Covid-19.
“We need to increase our tolerance sa mga pagtaas ng kaso. Kasi every time na tumataas ang kaso, people panic, people ay natatakot (whenever there is a rise in cases. Because every time the cases increase, people panic and get afraid),” said DOH Officer-in-Charge and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire during a recent press briefing.
“Katulad ng sabi natin, kailangan maging mapagmatyag tayo, aware, alam natin kung paano pro-proteksyunan ang ating sarili at maniwala po tayo sa proteksyon at bisa na binigay sa atin ng bakuna (Like what we have said, we need to be vigilant, aware, we must know how to protect ourselves, and let's believe in the effectiveness and protection that the vaccine gives us),” she added.
The agency also reiterated its stance that there is no need to reimpose the mandatory wearing of face masks.
“The DOH, along with the other IATF (Interagency Task Force) members, have already submitted its recommendations to the President with regard to not bringing back the mandatory wearing of masks,” it said in a statement on Thursday, May 4.
“While local government units have the jurisdiction to require the wearing of face masks in their communities through a local ordinance, the Department of Health reiterates the importance of self-assessing one’s risk and staying aware of the consequences that Covid-19 brings to our health - knowing when to wear our masks and observing our implemented health protocols,” it added.
It also reiterated that although there is an uptick in Covid cases, hospital admissions remain low.
“Despite seeing a minimal spike in cases, these do not translate to hospital admissions, severe/critical cases, and deaths,” the DOH said.
“It is also important to note that the country’s healthcare utilization rate remains to be at low risk, which can be attributed to our strengthened wall of immunity,” it added.