PRESIDENT Duterte on Monday night said the wearing of face masks would stay until the end of his term amid the continuing threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In his weekly Talk to the People address, the President likewise expressed hope that his successor would continue to observe the minimum health protocols, especially the wearing of face masks, as an added protection against COVID-19 and its different variants.
Duterte said the easing of the face mask policy by other countries and are now experiencing another wave of cases may have been “a reckless move.”
“There is no way that masks will not be required. It will be a part of the protocol for a long time until the last day of my office. Iyan ang order ko at ‘yan ang sundin ninyo (That is my order, you should follow it),” Duterte said.
Duterte reminded everyone that “we are not out of the woods actually, we are still in a bind” as he again encouraged everyone to continue observing social distancing, frequent washing of hands and get vaccinated or their booster to boost their protection.
He said the minimum health protocols, especially the wearing of face masks, will help reduce once’ chances of spreading or catching COVID-19 especially amid the election-related and religious activities where mass gathering cannot be avoided.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in the same event, said other countries experienced a surge in COVID -19 following the lifting of the wearing of face masks.
She said most of these countries also have low vaccination rates for elders.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, in the same forum, said there was an increase in the number of people who were caught not wearing their face masks, with 33,952 violators caught, up from 32,165 last week.
Vergeire warned the public of a possible increase or resurgence of COVID-19 cases if protocols are not followed, especially with potential super spreader events such as the campaign rallies and elections, and the gatherings during the Holy Week.
BARMM
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., in the same event, raised concerns of a possible spread of COVID-19 during the month-long Ramadan due to the low vaccination rate in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Año said the Philippine National Police (PNP) will coordinate with BARMM officials about limiting the entry to mosques to vaccinated individuals.
He said under existing guidelines of the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), only the vaccinated are allowed to attend indoor religious services or worship.
“So atin pong ipatutupad sa BARMM area na ‘yung mga magsasamba po sa mga mosque dapat ay bakunado. So we will instruct the Philippine National Police to coordinate with BARMM officials for the implementation of these IATF guidelines para po protektado talaga ‘yung mga kapatid nating Muslim na sumasamba sa mosque, mga bakunado lang po ‘yung papapasukin (We will implement this in BARMM, that those allowed to worship in the mosque should only be those who have been vaccinated. We will instruct the Philippine National Police to coordinate with BARMM officials for the implementation of these IATF guidelines to protect our Muslim brothers and sisters who worship in the mosque. Only the vaccinated will be allowed entry),” he said.
Vergeire said that to date, the country is classified as a COVID minimal risk while the health care utilization rate is classified as low risk.
She said that based on the Department of Health monitoring, the country recorded 1,903 new active cases or an average of 271 per day during the week of April 5 to 11, down from the March 29 to April 4 data of 2,565 cases or, a 366 daily average cases.
She said the seven-day average positivity rate was 1.6 percent while the fatality rate is 1.62 percent, while the cumulative recovery rate is 97.62 percent.
Vergeire also said that out of the 5,599 total COVID-19 admissions, only 12.6 percent are classified as severe and critical cases.
Año said that for the first time, the government recorded zero granular lockdowns in the National Capital Region (NCR).
He said only three areas are still under granular lockdown which is located in three separate municipalities and involves three households or six persons.
Año said this, however, does not mean that the country should be complacent as he emphasized to need to be vaccinated.
HIGH VAX RATE
In a virtual press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the continued low number of cases being recorded can be credited to the immunity acquired by the public, both natural and through the vaccines.
“One assumption why we are not seeing a spike in cases is because of the immunity brought by those who got vaccinated and those who got infected,” said Vergeire.
“Many were vaccinated back in November to December, while there was a surge in cases in January. The immunity they acquired remains effective,” she furthered.
The health official said the number of new cases in the country is currently on a plateau, with the average daily cases currently at 271.
“Cases are now on a slow decline,” said Vergeire.
This, she said, is despite the numerous potential super spreader events happening across the country.
“There are a lot of factors, like crowding in campaign sorties, religious activities, and the potential entry of new variants, that may cause a surge in cases,” she said.
Nevertheless, the health official warned that a case surge may still happen as the immunity acquired by the people may wane soon.
“The risk is always there. There is no certainty when it would happen. Even experts cannot tell us if it will happen next week, next month,” Vergeire said.
The World Health Organization – Philippines and the independent OCTA Research have projected that a surge in COVID-19 cases may soon emerge in the country.
Vergeire said this is the reason why the government has been repeatedly warning the public against complacency.
She said it is imperative for all to be prepared over the possible surge in cases.
“The key is we should always be prepared. We must know how to protect ourselves from the virus. That would be having ourselves vaccinated and boosted, and continue following minimum health protocols,” said Vergeire.
HOLY WEEK
With the Catholic faithful expected to troop churches and other religious sites this Holy Week, CBCP Public Affairs Committee Executive Secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano said they remain wary over the possibilities of a surge in COVID-19 infections with more people expected to participate in Holy Week traditional activities.
“People are back and their presence and participation in Holy Week observances will be the main difference from the two previous years under pandemic restrictions,” said Secillano.
“The situation may appear to be normal but Church officials are still wary of the dangers posed by COVID-19,” he added.
Secillano this means that the conduct of Holy Week traditions, such as pabasa, Way of the Cross, processions, and Visita Iglesia, must be done with minor adjustments.
“(These) will be observed but with a strict reminder that parishes and parishioners still adhere to minimum health protocols,” said Secillano.
The priest cited as an example of innovation is in the procession of images by doing it using motorized vehicles, instead of the usual “carozas” being pushed by devotees.
“This is to avoid people from being too close to each other, which may cause transmission of the virus,” said Secillano.
Another innovation, according to the CBCP News, is the use of the Visita Iglesia Online mobile app.
“Keeping the COVID-19 in mind, the app makes it easier for its subscribers to access the website’s content,” said the report.
CBCP News said Visita Iglesia Online offers users online retreats or recollections, “pray-along” or an audio of the Way of the Cross, “virtual tour” of 14 cathedrals nationwide, and biblical reflections and catechetical materials in video and digital format.
OMICRON SUB-VARIANTS
The WHO said on Monday it is tracking a few dozen cases of two new sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain to assess whether they are more infectious or dangerous.
The WHO said it has added BA.4 and BA.5, sister variants of the original BA.1 Omicron variant, to its list for monitoring. It is already tracking BA.1 and BA.2 – now globally dominant – as well as BA.1.1 and BA.3.
The WHO said it had begun tracking them because of their “additional mutations that need to be further studied to understand their impact on immune escape potential”.
Viruses mutate all the time but only some mutations affect their ability to spread or evade prior immunity from vaccination or infection, or the severity of disease they cause.
For instance, BA.2 now represents nearly 94% of all sequenced cases and is more transmissible than its siblings, but the evidence so far suggests it is no more likely to cause severe disease.
Only a few dozen cases of BA.4 and BA.5 have been reported to the global GISAID database, according to WHO. — With Gerard Naval, Victor Reyes and Reuters
