MANILA – The government is monitoring many factors to see if there is a need to change the regulations being enacted to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Malacañang said on Wednesday.
This comes after President Rodrigo Duterte called for stricter health precautions in anticipation of the country’s possible local transmission of the “more aggressive and lethal” Covid-19 Delta variant.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stated in an online news conference that possible modifications in anti-coronavirus measures will be dependent on the daily attack rate, two-week average attack rate, and health care utilization rate.
“Nakabase po iyan sa datos. So, babantayan pa rin natin ang daily attack rate, two-week average attack rate at ang healthcare utilization rate (That would be based on data. So, we will continue to monitor the daily attack rate, two-week average attack rate, and health care utilization rate),” Roque said.
So far, 35 cases of Delta coronavirus variant have been reported in the Philippines. Eight of the 35 cases remain active.
The risk of the Delta variant compelled Metro Manila mayors to request the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to suspend the policy that allowed children as young as 5 years old to participate in outdoor activities in areas subject to general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ (MGCQ).
Roque said the IATF-EID would hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the mayors’ proposal.
“Matagal ko na pong sinasabi na napakahirap na balewalain ang mga suhestiyon ng mga alkalde na nagpapatupad po ng IATF policies (I keep on saying that it is difficult to ignore the suggestions of mayors who are implementing the IATF policies),” he said.
He also stated that the government is intensifying its “Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treatment-Reintegrate” campaign to prevent the spread of the Delta variant locally.
“Mananatiling parehas ang ating mga istratehiya ngunit mas papaigtingin pa po natin ang pagpapatupad ng minimum public health protocols (Our strategies will remain the same but we will step up the implementation of the minimum public health protocols),” he said.
Duterte suggested the possibility of implementing tighter restrictions in his pre-recorded Talk to the People, which aired Monday night, admitting that the existence of Delta variant in the country is a “cause for significant fear and concern”.
National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. informed the public on July 16 that the country is “well-prepared” against the more transmissible Delta strain.
According to health experts, Delta variant can infect up to eight or nine people, who can then infect another eight or nine people, and so on.
