Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the state of public health emergency could be lifted if the country’s COVID-19 cases are “manageable” and “hospitals are ready.”
“We said that before we can lift this public health emergency, apart from having a manageable number of cases and our hospitals are ready, we need a policy environment so they can prepare,” Vergeire also said in an ambush interview.
“Because in our policies for public health emergencies, there are attached policies that when we lift it, we won’t be able to respond, like the authority of the director general to issue emergency useauthority for our newer technologies for COVID-19. We cannot do that if we lift it, so we need to prepare for it.” she said.
“So what we are doing now is transitioning so that, eventually, when we see that the cases are manageable, we have fixed the policies we need, ” she added.
Vergeire earlier said that the country may only declare an end to the state of public health emergency due to COVID-19 if infections and hospital utilization remained manageable.
The United States on April 11 officially ended its COVID-19 national health emergency after more than three years.
Then-President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency in the Philippines in March 2020, the onset of the pandemic.
Under Proclamation 922, the state of public health emergency would remain in force and effect until lifted or withdrawn by the President.
Vergeire also said they were not recommending any restrictions for water activities in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro amid the recent oil spill from a sunken motor tanker.
“Right now ang affected pa lang at ang tinitest natin yung may mga nasa shorelines naapektuhan ng oil spill. Puerto Galera is not included among those pero nagkaroon sila ng random sampling ng test across different areas where Puerto Galera is being included,” Vergeire said.
“But it is still not conclusive yet so we cannot say anything about it, but what I can say is that if the test results were shown and really indicates that there is this contamination of the chemical that we detect which is harmful for the body, maybe also even in the second
test we don’t advise the public to use or consume the water [there],” she added.
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco earlier said that Puerto Galera continued to be unaffected by the recent oil spill, adding that it remains open to tourists worldwide.
MT Princess Empress was carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank due to strong waves in Oriental Mindoro on February 28.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the motor tanker sank 400 meters into the ocean, which was too deep for divers to reach.
The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) earlier said the oil slick from the sunken motor tanker may reach Puerto Galera and Batangas.
Frasco said that the oil spill affected 66 tourist attractions and 1,400 tourism workers.
Meanwhile, Vergeire advised those who swam in the contaminated water to wash with soap, monitor for skin rashes, and consult their doctors.
“If you ingested some of the water, your stomach will hurt, you will vomit, there will be loose bowel movement, and if inhalation happened, you were just there on the shore, then you inhaled the contaminants, then you will have a headache or you will feel dizzy.” she said.
“If those were the symptoms and you knew you took a bath in the contaminated water, go to your doctor and they will know what to do,” she added.
Usec. Vergeire earlier said the number of people who have become sick due to the effects of the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro had increased to 191, based on data from March 2 to 20.
She said only one patient was reported to have been hospitalized due to an aggravated asthma attack during the first week of the oil spill in the province.
