By: Margaret Padilla
The Department of Health (DOH) assured the public concern about the possibility of a large turnout of tourists visiting the Philippines in April.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the people do not have to worry because protocols and close monitoring are still implemented.
“So hindi ho kailangan mangamba ng ating mga kababayan, meron pa rin po tayong mga ipinatupad na protocols and we are still doing close monitoring,” the doctor said.
She further said that experts thoroughly researched the decision to allow more vacationers into the country.
“Hindi naman po tayo magbubukas nang wala tayong safety net or safeguard,” she assured.
Despite reported Covid-19 surges in other countries such as Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, and China, as well as recent warnings from some health experts, the (DOH) remains confident that the country is still safe today from the so-called Deltacron mutation of the COVID-19 virus.
Last weekend, CNN Philippines reported that Dr. Rontgene Solante, an infectious diseases expert, warned of the possibility of another surge of COVID-19 infections.
“Yes, we are in a good situation now that our cases are low, but it does not guarantee that we will not have another spike or surge in cases. So the true picture of the number of cases does not reflect,” Solante explained.
He went on to say, “I don’t agree with downgrading, downsizing at zero.” We must maintain Alert Level 1 in Metro Manila and other parts of the country for the foreseeable future. Let’s see what happens after the elections to see if the cases are stable, increasing, or decreasing.”
According to the DOH, the said variant is being monitored, and, so far, no cases of the so-called “Deltacron” variant of COVID-19 have been reported.
“Base doon sa mga bansa na naka-experience nito with this kind of detection, ang sinasabi po ng mga eksperto walang masyadong difference with omicron. Ito po rin ay hindi nagpapakita ng more severe infections. Hindi rin siya nakapag pakita ng mas transmissible.”
According to the official, the DOH is continuing to evaluate the situation, while the government is also ramping up vaccination efforts to protect people from COVID-19.