Vergeire asks public not to be complacent after WHO COVID-19 declaration

Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday called on the public not to be complacent as the pandemic is still not over, even after the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.

In a media forum, the health official underscored the need for Filipinos to continue being vigilant, considering the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

Vergeire said the new COVID-19 infections now average 1,400 per day—which is around 87% higher than last week.

Despite this, 96% of these cases are either mild, asymptomatic, or moderate; and hospital utilization remains at low risk, she added.

“Ang Public Health Emergency of International Concern na ini-lift ng WHO is not equated to the pandemic. So even though the WHO has already lifted the Public Health Emergency of International Concern status, hindi po nila sinabing tapos na ang pandemya,” Vergeire said.

(The Public Health Emergency of International Concern lifted by the WHO is not equated to the pandemic. So even though the WHO has already lifted the Public Health Emergency of International Concern status, they did not say that the pandemic is over.)

The WHO earlier stressed that while lifting it is a sign of progress, COVID-19 is here to stay, even if it no longer represents an emergency.

Vergeire said the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) convened on Monday to discuss the matter. However, all discussions of the body remain confidential until submitted to the Office of the President.

Latest data by the OCTA Research Group showed that the seven-day positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) increased from 17.8% on April 30, to 22.9% on May 7.

Positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested.

“The increasing trend is slowing down, and the peak could happen within the next week or so. The positivity rate could also miss the 25% mark,” OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said on Tuesday.—AOL, GMA Integrated News