AMID the threat of surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases due to the Omicron variant, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday assured the public that the healthcare system is prepared to handle any increase in cases.
In a radio interview, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said hospitals and other health facilities “are making sure we will have enough COVID-19 beds, isolation (facilities), and ICU (beds).”
“We already know now what to do, with our two-year experience with COVID-19, in case Omicron variant turns out to be highly transmissible,” Vega said.
The country’s treatment czar stressed it remains uncertain if the Omicron variant poses more danger of a surge than other COVID-19 variants as global scientists are still studying the behavior of the mutation.
Vega said the country’s healthcare utilization rate is already at low risk, including Metro Manila, at around 30 percent occupancy.
“Since towards the latter part of November, we are continuously seeing a decline in our healthcare utilization rate. We are at low risk in COVID-19 bed occupancy,” said Vega.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant as a variant of concern. So far, the Philippines has yet to detect a case of Omicron variant.
In a related development, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) said recent arrivals from Omicron-hit countries have shown no symptoms of COVID-19 so far.
In a radio interview, BOQ Deputy Director Roberto Salvador Jr. said they have yet to receive reports of COVID-19 symptoms manifesting among the 253 travelers from South Africa, three from Burkina Faso, and 541 from Egypt.
“We are coordinating with the DOH, and the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) to ensure close monitoring. None of the travelers are showing COVID-19 symptoms,” said Salvador.
In addition, he assured that all travelers that arrived between November 15 and November 29 from countries where cases of Omicron have been confirmed will be made to complete their quarantine requirements.
“The public has nothing to fear. These travelers will need to complete their mandatory 14-day quarantine before returning to their respective communities,” said Salvador.
Last Friday, the DOH reported that they have recorded 253 arrivals from South Africa, three from Burkina Faso, and 541 from Egypt.
Three travelers have tested positive of COVID-19, with one each coming from South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Egypt.
Results of the genome sequencing conducted on the three COVID-hit travelers to determine if they carry the Omicron variant are still pending.
RED LIST
The Philippines’ Red List is expected to be expanded to include more countries from which inbound passengers are temporarily not allowed to enter the Philippines, National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) spokesman Restituto Padilla Jr. said.
Padilla Jr., in an interview with ABS CBN Teleradyo, said a technical working group (TWG) tasked to collate data and study the different COVID-19 variants has been directed to submit regular reports and recommendations on how best to handle the different variants to the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. “The Red List of countries can potentially be expanded, depending on the data that comes out,” he said.
Reports indicate that at least 38 countries have confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.
The Philippines’ Red List only includes 14 countries, and these are South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswathini, Mozambique, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy.
The government banned the entry of passengers from the countries under the Red List, effective November 28 until December 15, to prevent the entry of the Omicron variant.
Travelers from countries or territories under the Yellow and Green List are allowed entry into the country but are mandated to undergo quarantine and RT PCR testing.
Padilla said a single confirmed case of the Omicron variant is not enough to be included in the Red List. He said the TWG also considers factors such as if the confirmed case is a local transmission instead of an infected traveler.
He added that once a country is placed under the Red List, only returning Filipinos through Bayanihan flights or repatriation flights will be allowed entry provided that they follow testing and quarantine protocols once they arrived.
VIOLATIONS
The PNP yesterday said 167,289 individuals were accosted for violation of health protocols and curfew violations in the National Capital Region during the first month of implementation of the Alert Level 2 in the region.
It said 111,913 of the violators who were accosted from November 5 to December 4 were merely warned then sent home; 47,302 were fined; and 8,074 were charged.
NCR shifted to Alert Level 2 on November 5 from the higher Alert Level 3 that was implemented from October 16 to November 4. Police said 194,929 violators were accosted during the implementation of Alert Level 3 in the region.
Of the violators under Alert Level 2 in Metro Manila, the PNP said 164,702 were accosted for violation of minimum public health standards (MPHS) like the wearing of face mask and observance of physical distancing while 2,587 were for curfew violation.
Nationwide, police said some 918,641 violators were accosted during the same period – 823,440 for MPHS violation, 62,278 for curfew violation, and 32,923 non-Authorized Persons Outside Residence.
Of the figure, 751,264 were merely warned; 109,101 were fined; and 58,276 were brought to police stations for filing of charges.
At the same time, the PNP said 52 areas are on granular lockdown throughout the country, four of which are in NCR, as of Saturday.
These areas are situated in 43 barangays within 11 towns and cities. They are manned by 59 policemen and 106 force multipliers from local government units.
Some 58 households, composed of 146 individuals, are affected by the granular lockdown. — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Victor Reyes
