Duque: Philippines already over crisis stage of Omicron surge

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said the country has already crossed past the crisis stage when it comes to the surge caused by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Duque noted the improved nationwide numbers when it comes to two-week growth rate, average daily attack rate (ADAR) and healthcare utilization.

"Nalagpasan na natin kasi low risk na nga tayo [We have already crossed past it because we are already under low risk classification]," Duque said when asked if the crisis is almost over or is already over.

A report by Manny Vargas on Super Radyo dzBB quoted Duque as saying that nobody knows when or if a new variant of concern would be discovered.

He noted that COVID-19 cases in the Philippines were low from November to December last year until the emergence of the more transmissible Omicron variant.

Duque, during the interview, said the country's two-week growth rate is at -81% while the ADAR is at 7 cases per 100,000 population, which he said is considered "low-risk."

"Tapos ang ating health systems capacity nasa low risk, mga a little over 30% lang ang kama na nagagamit, so 3 out of 10. Mababa siya," he said.

(Then our health systems capacity is also at low risk. A little over 30% of bed capacity are utilized. That's 3 out of 10, so that's low.)

COVID crisis 'still there'

Duque also said the country is “not yet” seeing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in general.

“We’re over with the Omicron, but not the COVID-19,” he told GMA News Online by phone.

“”We’re not out of the COVID crisis. The COVID crisis is still there," he added.

"But we never said that we’re over with the crisis. Matagal pang maga-antay tayo (we still have to wait for a long time)."

Face masks to stay

Still, Duque said he is not in favor of the lifting of the mandatory face mask policy anytime soon.

"Hindi ako naniniwala na malapit na ang panahon [na tanggalin ang face mask policy] kasi lalo na meron tayong campaign rallies. Lalo pa natin dapat pag-igtingin ang pagsunod sa minimum health standards," Duque said.

(I don't believe that the time is near to lift the face mask policy especially since we have campaign rallies. We should in fact intensify our compliance with minimum health standards.)

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire echoed Duque, saying that for the medical standpoint, health experts see that the face masks will be the last to go as it also protects the people from other diseases apart from COVID-19.

“A lot of things are uncertain right now and one of the things that we are relying on as we shift into this new normal, meaning easing of restrictions, would be that people would be imbibing that culture or practice that masks will be part of our daily lives. Vaccination is there, and also the safety protocols that we implement,” she said in an interview on ANC.

Vergeire added that masks may go by the end of the year only if the COVID-19 cases are already manageable and the country reaches the endemic state by then.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the mandatory use of face masks would  “most likely” be dropped by the fourth quarter of the year. 

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police said on Thursday 251 areas in the country are under granular lockdown due to COVID-19 cases, affecting 363 people, as of Wednesday.

The PNP said 139 of these areas are in Cordillera, 83 in Ilocos, 16 in the National Capital Region, and 13 in Cagayan. — with Giselle Ombay and Joviland Rita/KBK/RSJ, GMA News