Vergeire: State of calamity can be lifted if COVID-19 Vaccination Law amended, more booster shots administered

The Department of Health (DOH) will only recommend the lifting of the state of calamity to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. if the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act is amended and more COVID-19 booster shots are administered.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire disclosed this during the Senate health and demography committee's hearing Monday after Senator Risa Hontiveros asked about their request to amend the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act as its effectivity will expire once the state of calamity is lifted on September 12, 2022.

Last week, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the decision on whether to extend the state of calamity due to the COVID-19 pandemic will depend on the recommendation of the Health department.

"So in terms of the state of calamity, we did not recommend to the President but we discussed with him the current COVID situation and we told him that if we can improve the wall of immunity in our population, meaning if we have increased the coverage for the first boosters, and then we can already implement lesser restrictions across the population and that would include the state of calamity that has been issued through the [Executive Order]," Vergeire said.

"So I told him, we recommended that if we can amend the RA 11525 and if the situation would already improve by that time, September 12 is the validity, and then he can very well lift the state of calamity if the conditions or the improved vaccination also will happen," she added.

Vergeire said they already recommended to Marcos the amendment of RA 11525, reiterating that emergency use authorizations, tax exemptions, price caps, and healthcare workers' benefits will be affected.

"We would want that, in the amendment of RA 11525, we are proposing that all of these considerations be included already so that if the President decides to lift the state of calamity, we are assured that our COVID vaccine deployment program will continue, benefits for healthcare workers will be discussed and we'll be given other options and also of course the tax exemptions and emergency procurement can still be done," she said.

At this point, Hontiveros asked why the DOH is seeking the amendment of RA 11525 instead of asking the President to extend the state of calamity.

Vergeire explained that going through legislation instead of recommending the extension of the state of calamity "is in line with the directions of the current administration to further open up our economy and the sectors."

Hontiveros then asked Vergeire if the administration is not keen on extending the state of calamity because they are afraid to tell the public that the COVID-19 situation is still "calamitous."

"That is not how they were thinking, Senator Risa. What we were discussing actually would really, to balance the health and the economy," Vergeire responded.

With the observation that COVID-19 cases are less severe than the previous years, Vergeire said they were asked by the President if the country's situation can carry on even if the government eases some restrictions including the lifting of the state of calamity and the removal of face masks.

"We explained to him na it has to be, that there should be this balance that we reach 'yung higher immunity for the population. So nandon po 'yung direksyon na 'yon. Nothing is final yet. No discussions [that] is final," she said.

"It is just that DOH would like to ensure that if and when the state of calamity will be lifted, 'yun pong considerations natin for the vaccine deployment pati 'yung sa healthcare benefits would still remain to be intact through a legislation," she added.—AOL, GMA News