PH to lift COVID-19 public health emergency if situation continues to be 'manageable' —Vergeire

The Philippines may only declare an end to the state of public health emergency due to COVID-19 if infections and hospital utilization remain to be manageable, according to Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire on Wednesday.

Vergeire made the remark after the United States on Monday officially ended its COVID-19 national health emergency after more than three years.

The Health official explained that each country has its own reason for lifting the health emergency.

“No matter what the context would be, dito sa Pilipinas kasi (here in the Philippines), our situation right now would be that we are trying to monitor our cases, and we are trying to better prepare our healthcare system. Nakikita naman natin eh (we are seeing) that soon, we will be able to lift this state of public health emergency pero kailangan lahat nakaayos na (but everything needs to be in order first), before we do that,” Vergeire said.

She also said that the country needs to have a “fallback” from the legal provisions set in place once the health emergency is put to an end, citing the issues raised when the state of calamity due to COVID-19 lapsed.

Vergeire earlier admitted that there are no legal remedies seen yet to address the conditions on the immunity from liability and indemnification clauses that are required by vaccine manufacturers before the donations of COVID-19 bivalent vaccines to the Philippines could proceed.

“Kailangan lahat ‘yan i-prepare natin (we need to prepare all that), aside from of course seeing that our cases are manageable and our hospitals are okay, I think by then, kapag lahat ay prepared na (once everything is prepared), we can also lift our public emergency status,” she added.

Vergeire also said that healthcare workers’ One COVID allowance (OCA) will be affected should the public health emergency is lifted.

"'Pag natapos itong state of public health emergency, titigil na itong mga health emergency allowance kasi doon nakatali ang mga benepisyo na 'yan. But your hazard pay and the other benefits that are given to you would still continue," she said.

(When this state of public health emergency ends, the allocation of these health emergency allowances will also stop. But your hazard pay and other benefits that are given to you would still continue.)

She said the DOH is now looking for solutions to continuously provide benefits to healthcare workers even if this happens.

The state of public health emergency in the Philippines was declared in March 2020, the onset of the pandemic, by then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

Under Proclamation 922, the state of a public health emergency would remain in force and effect until lifted or withdrawn by the President. —VAL, GMA Integrated News