The end of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country may be deemed within sight, only if vaccination targets are achieved in order to prevent a surge in cases, Department of Health Undersecretary and officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire recently said.
“We agree with Dr. Tedros [Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization]. Globally, based on statistics [and] immunization coverage all over the world, it seems we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“But here in the Philippines, and even the department feels that we are seeing the end of this [pandemic]. But we have to be ready because we know that even if the pandemic is ending, the virus is here to stay,” Vergeire said.
She warned that COVID-19, even at its endemic stage, would still cause outbreaks and deaths “every now and then.”
“What we need to do [is] strengthen our system, strengthen the immunity of the population and make our facilities ready so that… we can all be ready and remain protected,” she added.
With government having lifted the restriction on face mask wearing outdoors, Vergeire said that the rule could still be reinstated if supported by indicators such as the rise in hospitalization and the average daily attack rate breaching the moderate level of six per 100,000.
Further immunization, continued compliance to remaining health and safety protocols, and constant vigilance will be necessary as the world eases its way from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While government will play a role in orchestrating and sustaining this response and the path to recovery, how well these goals can be achieved will ultimately depend on the people who make the decisions on whether or not to wear masks and accept the jabs and the boosters in order to protect our society from slipping back into another series of outbreaks whilst the countries whose people cooperate better continue their steady march to recovery.*
