THE Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it also sees the end of the coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines but reiterated that the virus is here to stay parallel to what the World Health Organization said earlier.
“[D]ito sa Pilipinas kapag tinignan natin, ako personally, and even the Department feels that we are seeing na mukhang matatapos na nga,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing.
(If we look at it here in the Philippines, I personally, and even the Department feels that we are seeing that it may be ending.)
The WHO on Wednesday said the end of the pandemic is in sight and that countries around the globe have never been in a better position to end it as it observed that the number of new cases dropped dramatically.
However, Vergeire reiterated that the country should be prepared even if the pandemic will someday end as the virus is here to stay.
“Expectedly, it will still cause outbreaks every now and then. Expectedly, it will still cause one to two deaths or some deaths every now and then because hindi naman mawawala ‘yang COVID-19, nandiyan ‘yan (COVID-19 will not disappear, it will remain),” she said.
“What we need to do, strengthen our system, strengthen the immunity of the population, make our facilities ready so that pag dumating ‘yang punto na ‘yan lahat tayo prepared, wala tayong pangangamba, tayo po ay protektado (if we reach that point, we are prepared, we are not worried, we are protected),” she added.
Citing the WHO, Vergeire said the country must continue testing, maintain its clinical management, reach its vaccination targets, institutionalize healthcare facilities, and implement continuous risk communication with the public.
