ILOILO – The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) welcomes the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is no longer a public health emergency of international concern but it still encourages the public to wear facemasks.
“Happy kita tungod nga amo na na ang status,” said IPHO head, Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, on Tuesday, May 9.
Quiñon said the end of the public health emergency means the number of COVID-19 cases has decreased, especially the mortality risk.
A big factor in the reduction of cases, she said, is vaccination.
“Diri sa province of Iloilo we are already on Alert Level 1 because a lot of our population has been vaccinated,” she pointed out.
As of May 8, 1,378,002 have received their first dose; second dose – 1,292,616; first booster shot – 290,488; and second booster shot – 25,410.
The province targets inoculating 1,461,756 of its residents.
But just like what WHO director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said, despite the end of the public health emergency, COVID-19 remains and can still harm people’s lives, according to Quiñon.
In the province, there has been a significant increase in COVID-19 cases. From more than 70 in the previous three to four weeks, cases increased to 154 in the last two weeks.
The first case of “Arcturus” or XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant recorded in the Philippines was also detected in the province.
“It is still changing, ara gihapon naga-evolve sia and atong wala nakapabakuna mataas ang risgu nga possible nga mapatay sila sa COVID-19. That’s why gina-encourage ta man sa gihapon ang tanan nga senior citizens and comorbid nga magpabakuna,”said Quiñon.
Protocols
Quiñon said there are no major adjustments to Executive Order No. 260 by Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., which mandates wearing facemasks indoors like in offices and transportation, among others.
When outdoors, a facemask is not mandatory. But senior citizens and people with comorbidities are encouraged to wear a facemask, especially when physical distancing is not observed.
“I am still encouraging everyone nga mag-use sang facemask kay not only are we protecting ourselves from COVID-19 but also other infectious diseases like TB (tuberculosis) and flu,” she said.
The IPHO chief also encouraged senior citizens and persons with comorbidities experiencing flu-like symptoms for two or three days to undergo the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test to determine if it is COVID or not and to be given proper treatment./PN
