OCTA: PH has ‘good’ pandemic control
THE massive vaccination program of the government has significantly contributed to the downtrend of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines, OCTA Research fellow, Dr. Guido David, said Saturday.
For the past two years of battling the pandemic, David said one of the noticeable trends is having surge waves three to four months apart.
“It is quite supporting the hypothesis that our immunity is going down after a period of time – usually it’s three to four months, but we are now in a good situation,” David said at the virtual public briefing.
He noted that it is also possible that the COVID-19 surge in the country will not happen.
“Since we started the mass vaccination, we really controlled it, especially the hospitalization. In fact, over the past two years, we are now one of the countries in Southeast Asia that is in the best situation,” David said.
“That means – even if we have some lapses at first, but now we have a ‘good’ pandemic management. I hope it will continue in the next coming years,” he added.
David said the country remains at a very low-risk classification, with the nation wide’s positivity rate staying at .06%.
The country’s average daily attack rate (ADAR) is still below 1%, while the reproduction rate has slightly increased, but the COVID-19 cases are still low.
David cited that health crisis management and policies should be data-based driven in all aspects.
“Pag yung mga policies natin based on science at based on data, usually maganda talaga yung calibration ng ating response,” he said.
David is also optimistic that the next administration will continue the data-based driven approach of the government in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges posed by the global health crisis.
Meanwhile, David said the World Health Organization’s (WHO) warning of a possible surge might come true if the public ignores the health protocols and refuses to get vaccinated with COVID-19 primary doses and booster shots. Philippine News Agency
