HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa Jr. yesterday advised President Marcos Jr. and his delegation to exercise public health precautions, including avoiding crowds, when they visit Singapore later this month amid a reported spike in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the said country.
Marcos is set to participate in the International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-la Dialogue 2024 in Singapore in late May.
Herbosa, in an interview after a sectoral meeting in Malacañang, said the President’s security team should make sure that he is not exposed to any threat in case Marcos decides to go to crowded public places.
“Public health precautions, you know. To avoid crowds. Of course, the President naman doesn’t go to crowded and public places because of the security (Anyway, the President does not go to crowded and public places because of security issues),” Herbosa said.
Herbosa said the Philippines is closely monitoring the situation in Singapore amid the reported rise in COVID cases and the presence of the new variants KP.2 and KP.3 – collectively nicknamed by scientists as “FLiRT.” The new variants are reportedly mutations of the JN.1 variant.
He said that while there are no reported cases of FLiRT in the Philippines yet, he said there is a possibility that it has already entered the country.
He said a private hospital, which he refused to name, had reported that some of its medical workers have recently tested positive of COVID-19. He also said that the health department is monitoring a spike in influenza-like illnesses.
Herbosa assured the public that the FLiRT variant “is not serious” and is only classified as a “variant under monitoring” but noted that it spreads fast.
“Sa Philippines, we don’t have enough samples kasi we need a number of samples to do the genetic testing… Pag dumating ‘yung cases, then, we will ask our Philippine Genome Center to again look at what variant is spreading (In the Philippines, we don’t have enough samples, we need a number of samples to do the genetic testing… once cases are recorded, we will ask the Philippine Genome Center to again look at what variant is spreading),” he said.
Herbosa urged Filipinos to practice proper health protocols as a precautionary measure against getting infected with the new COVID-19 variants.
Likewise, he said he is not yet recommending any border control or travel restrictions to countries with increasing COVID-19 cases, the mandatory use of face masks or additional vaccination.
“I am advising every Filipino, since that’s happening, that it can come here… (to practice) minimum public health standards. If you are sick, you have a cough, colds, sore throat, better to stay home. If you need to go out, wear a mask. So, it’s still personal,” he said.
Herbosa added that previous practices such as self-isolation may also be observed, especially if a person is experiencing respiratory symptoms which do not clear up within five days of onset.
He also said self-precautions, such as maintaining vaccine immunity and avoiding travel to countries with high cases of COVID-19 for people who are at risk or vulnerable should be observed.
VACCINES
DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said those who have been vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 should not worry of the waning effect of the vaccines.
“If we were vaccinated with the primary series and the booster doses, we are fully vaccinated. Therefore, we have a weapon against this (new wave),” said Domingo.
“It can be said that its effects are waning over time. But its efficacy remains present in our bodies,” he added.
Proof of this, he said, is that COVID-19 cases in the country had remained low in the last several months.
For the period of May 7 to 13, DOH data shows that there were 877 new COVID-19 cases reported, for an average of 125 cases reported per day.
Similarly, data shows that the occupancy rate of COVID-19 ICU beds and COVID-19 non-ICU beds are only at 11 percent (119/1,117) and 13 percent (1,238/9,571), respectively, as of May 12.
Because of this, the health official said there is no need for Filipinos to be alarmed over the latest surge in COVID-19 cases in Singapore.
“We don’t have to be alarmed but we must be on alert. We are on alert. We are watching,” said Domingo.
Earlier, Singapore reported a new COVID-19 wave due to the rising cases of infection over the last two weeks.
Singapore data shows that there were 25,900 cases of COVID-19 recorded during the week of May 5 to May 11 as compared to only 13,700 cases in the previous week. — With Gerard Naval
