Duque on Omicron entering Philippines: Not a matter of if but when

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III warned the entry of the Omicron variant in the Philippines is always a possibility.

"It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, so talagang 'yan po papasok yan just as we have experienced with Alpha, Delta among the variants of concern," he said on Monday's Talk to the People presided by President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Ang una kong tanong sa inyong mga doctor actually diretsahan na lang, is there a possibility that Omicron will visit the Philippines?" Duterte asked.

In response, Duque said just like the more transmissible Delta variant, the Omicron will also enter the country, adding that authorities must intensify its strategies.

"It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when so talagang papasok 'yan (Omicron) just as we experienced Alpha, Delta among the variants of concerns. Mr. President. So kinakailangang paigtingin ang PDITR strategy," Duque said.

To prepare for the possibility of Omicron variant entry, Duque reiterated the "enforcement of compliance of minimum health standards."

He also raised the use of face shields in 3Cs areas or crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined and enclosed spaces.

Moreover, Duque said the "trajectory" of vaccination rate in the country must be maintained to achieve population protection.

"We need to widen and increase the vaccination coverage to reach population protection," Duque said.

He, likewise, underscored to prepare the health care system for the worst case scenario.

"Let's take advantage of low number of cases and prepare for healthcare system capacity for the worst case scenario," Duque said.

The country's new COVID-19 cases on Monday decreased to 665, the lowest fresh infections since July 2020.

Expected any time

In an earlier briefing, Health Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman said, “Kung sa amin ayaw namin siya ever mag enter pero we’re always at that state na we’re expecting it to enter at any time,” 

(We don’t want it to enter but we are always in the state that we’re expecting it to enter at any time.)

“Hindi natin sinasabi na, sige February pa ‘yan o March pa ‘yan (we’re not saying that it’s going to enter in February or in March),” she added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Omicron as a variant of concern. The global organization said it is not yet clear if the variant is more transmissible compared to other variants or if it causes a more severe disease.

The countries of Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy have been added to the red list, which initially included the south African nations of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique.

Hong Kong, which has also detected the variant, remains on the country’s yellow list amid calls from the Department of Health and other experts to impose travel restrictions on the Chinese territory.—LDF, GMA News