FMJ retains COVID-19 alert level system, eyes new restrictions classifications
By J.Lo
"To avoid confusion, we will retain alert level system for now…we are however thinking, we are studying very closely, and we'll come to decision very soon as to decoupling restrictions from alert levels," President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. met Department of Health (DOH) Officer-In-Charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire retained COVID-19 Alert Level System for now.
President Marcos is seeking reclassification of restrictions which would be more compatible with current milder strains of coronavirus.
The President also said alert level could be adjusted or improved if more people receive COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
President Marcos met with DOH officials to discuss COVID-19 and government's response to the disease.
The DOH can craft new classifications by the second week of August, Vergeire claimed.
Mid-August is suitable time to loosen up classifications as this would give medical community time to make COVID-19 cases more manageable, at the same time allaying their fears, Vergeire said.
For Senator Sonny Angara, warning system government should implement must be responsive to the current COVID-19 situation.
"I think they are studying it and the President is consulting with experts on right system that should be implemented but we already see that COVID-19 has evolved…so our warning system should be responsive to our current COVID-19 situation," Angara he said in an interview.
Earlier DOH recorded 2,285 new COVID-19 cases, highest single-day tally since February.
It was also the fifth straight day with more than 2,000 new infections.
Based on DOH's latest data, country's active cases increased to 20,524 from 19,873. This is the highest active case total since April 14, when 24,179 active cases were recorded.
The total number of COVID-19 infections in the country is now at 3,735,383.
Meanwhile, the number of recoveries climbed to 3,654,218 while death toll remained at 60,641.
Vergeire said current uptick in COVID-19 cases is due to Omicron BA.5 variant which is highly contagious.
The DOH official said based on current projections, more relaxed compliance to minimum public health standards would lead to more COVID-19 cases. However, this is preventable, she stressed.
Vergeire said due to the new variants of coronavirus causing COVID-19, the virus' immune-escaping mechanism has increased.
This means if eligible individuals do not take their vaccinations, the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 may increase by September, she added, citing experts.
"So that's why we really wanted to capture all of this eligible population before the time projected, which is September," she said.
President Marcos met with officials of DOH to discuss COVID-19 and the government's response to the disease, Malacañang has said.
In a radio interview, Vergeire said President Marcos and the health officials discussed Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the current alert level system.
Also present at the meeting were Health Assistant Secretary Charade Mercado-Grande of the DOH-Health Regulation Team and Director Alethea de Guzman of the DOH-Bureau of Epidemiology.
Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary Maria Zenaida Angping joined President Marcos in meeting the health officials.
Vergeire said about 95% of monkeypox cases around the world are transmitted through sexual activities. Vergeire, however, clarified monkeypox virus is not considered sexually transmitted disease.
"It is not classified sexually transmitted disease…although now that this monkeypox virus has evolved, it can be gotten through sexual contact…actually, 95% cases right now globally are acquired through sexual contact" she said in a radio interview.
World Health Organization (WHO) said monkeypox can spread "during close skin-to-skin contact during sex, including kissing, touching, oral and penetrative sex with someone who has symptoms." The WHO also said that anyone can get or pass on monkeypox, regardless of his,her sexuality.
The DOH announced earlier Philippines has already recorded its first case of monkeypox in a 31-year-old patient who arrived from abroad on July 19. He tested positive for the virus on Thursday, July 28.
On July 23, WHO declared monkeypox as "public health emergency of international concern" the highest alarm it can sound.
Vergeire said there were deaths reported due to monkeypox, and that immunocompromised, pregnant women, and senior citizens may be more vulnerable to the virus.
"The resistance of immunocompromised to the virus is low. ..those who can also be vulnerable to monkeypox are pregnant women, the young, and the elderly who already have many comorbidities," she added.
Vergeire thus reminded public to adhere to the same health protocols against COVID-19 to protect themselves against monkeypox virus, such as wearing best-fitted mask, keeping hands clean, and observing physical distance.
Meanwhile, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said COVID-19 is still more dangerous compared to monkeypox as those infected with the latter normally heal after 21 to 28 days.
"They are different in terms of mortality as COVID-19 is more dangerous compared to monkeypox," he said.
"In general, this is a less severe type of infection compared to COVID-19," he added.
In a separate interview, Vergeire said country is "very capable" of detecting monkeypox cases as the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) can test as much as 1,000 samples per day.
"Yes, we are very capable of detecting this virus. ..we have capacity of testing 1,000 samples for RITM," she said in interview.
"right now, we are capacitating our sub-national laboratories in other regions so they could also have access to testing monkeypox samples," she added.
In June, a real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was set up by the RITM to detect possible monkeypox virus cases in the country.
Unlike COVID-19, Vergeire also said that only high-risk individuals, and not everyone, need to be vaccinated against monkeypox.
"in monkeypox, we only have a specific sector we identify as high-risk people that should need this kind of vaccine like healthcare workers and other vulnerable sectors," she said.
Vergeire earlier noted that DOH is already coordinating with WHO for possible procurement of vaccines against monkeypox.
She said United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) already registered smallpox vaccine as tool to be used against this virus, but supplies are still limited.
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