By Gerard Naval and Jocelyn Montemayor
THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday pressed for stronger border surveillance and control measures to delay the imminent entry into the country of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Amid the threat of the Omicron variant, President Duterte last night approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to extend the Alert Level 2 classification of the National Capital Region for another 15 days.
In a statement, Cabinet Secretary and presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said other areas also under Alert Level 2 are Benguet, Abra, Kalinga, Baguio City, Mountain Province, and Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; Dagupan City, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union, and Pangasinan in the Ilocos Region (Region I); Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and City of Santiago in Cagayan Valley (Region II); and Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Zambales, and Tarlac in Central Luzon (Region III).
Also under the same alert level are Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, and Lucena City in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A); Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa City, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan in the Mimaropa region (Region IV-B); Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Naga City in Bicol (Region V); Aklan, Antique, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Iloilo City, and Negros Occidental in Western Visayas (Region VI); Bohol, Cebu, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor in Central Visayas (Region VII); and Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, and Western Samar in Eastern Visayas (Region VIII).
The following areas are also under Alert Level 2: City of Isabela, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay in Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX); Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao (Region X); Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental in Davao Region (Region XI); General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat in SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII); Butuan City, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Agusan del Norte in Caraga (egion XIII); and Basilan, Cotabato City, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The IATF placed Apayao under Alert Level 3.
Nograles said the alert level will be in effect from December 1 until December 15, 2021.
The IATF over the weekend ordered flight restrictions on travelers coming from Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified Omicron as a “variant of concern” last November 26.
Omicron was first detected on November 9 this year in Botswana, Hong Kong and South Africa. It has since spread in 14 countries.
DOH – Epidemiology Bureau (EB) Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman said it is imperative for the Philippines to adopt tighter border controls and surveillance “to buy us time to prepare our local health systems.”
“Thus, there is the need to ensure that all arrivals will be properly screened, tested, and quarantined,” De Guzman stressed, adding there is also a need to look at recent arrivals to check if they are positive for the Omicron variant.
“We need to trace previous arrivals from these banned countries for assessment and testing,” she said.
The health official also said local government units must continuously enhance their isolation and contact tracing efforts.
De Guzman said the government should likewise shift back to RT-PCR testing to ensure that samples can be subjected to whole genome sequencing because “we cannot sequence the samples if they are from antigen testing.”
Cabinet Secretary and presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the government is implementing its Four-Door Policy that includes border control, active surveillance including test and trace, early isolation and treatment of all those who tested positive, and the COVID -19 vaccination program to protect the country from the entry and spread of the new variant.
Local government units have also been instructed to ensure strict implementation and adherence to the Prevent – Detect – Isolate – Test — Reintegrate strategy and compliance to minimum public health standards (MPHS).
The DOH, Nograles added, is evaluating and ensuring health system capacity is prepared to address the possible increase in COVID-19 cases.
‘A MATTER OF TIME’
The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) yesterday said the Omicron variant has not yet been detected in the country based on the limited samples subjected to whole-genome sequencing.
In a television interview, PGC Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Saloma said: “So far, out of the more than 18,000 whole genome sequenced samples that the PGC as well as of the Department of Health, we have yet to detect the B.1.1.529 variant.”
She, however, admitted that the sample size is only limited owing to the downward trend in COVID-19 cases.
“The samples arriving here are only a few because our laboratories are not sending more.
This is because testing has also gone down because cases are now low,” said Saloma.
The PGC head said the Omicron variant will eventually reach the country’s shores.
“It’s just a matter of time before we will find it in our country,” said Saloma.
De Guzman echoed that “it is highly likely that the VOC will eventually come into the country similar to other VOCs.”
This, she said, is possible given the delays in the detection and reporting of the Omicron variant in other countries, which likewise delayed the imposition of stricter quarantine for said areas.
National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. agreed with the health experts and said in Filipino: “We can see that Omicron is now in Europe. Normally, it’s very imminent. We cannot prevent it. We can delay only for two months or one month. That’s why we need to be vaccinated.”
Nograles urged the public to remain vigilant and not be too relaxed despite the low cases of COVID-19 cases in the country.
He also called on the public to prioritize “safety” and ensure compliance with minimum public health standards during the holiday season, referring to gatherings and parties that are likely being planned for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“In consideration of your activities, my advice is safety first,” said Nograles as he reiterated the need to continuously wear face masks, wash hands, observe physical distance.
He also urged the public to be vaccinated and take advantage of the country’s “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” national vaccination days from November 29 to December 1 and again on December 15 to 17.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he is open to make the wearing of face shields mandatory anew amid the threat of the Omicron variant.
“Our experts are pushing for this (return of face shields). It is not because we want our countrymen to suffer for no reason at all,” said Duque, adding that the use of shield has been proven as effective in preventing the transmission of the virus.
“We have proven this increased protection if we use face masks, face shield, physical distancing. It is greater than 95 percent protection rate,” said the health chief.
“Last year, when we saw a surge in July and August, we were able to bring down the cases by September and October without a drop of vaccine. It is because our people followed the protocols,” he added.
RED LIST
For a country to be placed in the Philippines’ Red List of countries, Nograles said it should have a confirmed local transmission of the Omicron variant.
Nograles made the clarification amid questions on why Hong Kong, despite having a confirmed Omicron case, is not included in the Red List and was just placed under the Yellow List.
He said the IATF took note that there was no confirmed local transmission of the variant in Hong Kong, since the patient who tested positive was a traveler from South Africa.
“The decision of the IATF is if it is an imported case and not a local case of Omicron, if it is an imported case, then we have the option of retaining the status of the country whether Yellow or Green,” he said.
Nograles said the IATF can override the criteria and include a country or territory in the Red List if experts see that the concerned countries or territories have poor surveillance activities, poor genome sequencing and they have doubts about their ability to detect the presence of Omicron.
OFF TO MALLS
PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said the PNP has eased the conduct of COVID-19 checkpoint operations and has redeployed its operatives to shopping malls and other populated areas that are expected to be crowded during the Christmas season.
“We eased a little on that,” Carlos told a press briefing at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame yesterday, referring to the checkpoints or quarantine control points (QCPs).
Carlos said the QCPs are now situated in “specific areas” but did not say how QCPs are currently put up throughout the country.
“We are now shifting to the Christmas season on how we can remind in the different malls to follow the minimum health protocols,” said Carlos.
In the case of Metro Manila, which is currently under Alert Level 2, Carlos said checkpoint operations will have to be stepped up in case it goes up to Alert Level 3 or 4 to limit the movement of people and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Metro Manila shifted to Alert Level 2 last November 5 which allowed more economic activities.
“The areas we are focusing on now are areas where people go especially during the Christmas season. Malls have opened up. We are coordinating with the security and administrators of the malls,” said Carlos.
