Herbosa wants public health emergency due to COVID-19 lifted
MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Ted Herbosa wants the state of public health emergency lifted, saying the COVID-19 pandemic—which killed at least 66,000 Filipinos and wreaked economic and social havoc—no longer constitutes a crisis.
“Actually, there is no longer an emergency. I would actually ask for the lifting of the [state of] public health emergency,” Herbosa told reporters Monday.
“[COVID-19] is just one of the diseases that we monitor, just like influenza, cough and cold,” he added.
The health chief, however, said that the alert level system for COVID-19 will remain.
The World Health Organization announced in May that it was ending the public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, it declared for COVID-19 more than three years ago. PHEIC is the WHO’s highest level of alert.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has yet to lift the state of public health emergency.
The state of public health emergency will remain in effect unless lifted or withdrawn by the sitting president.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte on March 8, 2020 declared a state of public health emergency due to COVID-19, allowing national and local government agencies to implement urgent and critical measures to contain the spread of the virus, and mitigate its effects to communities.
Danger not over
Even if the WHO declared an end to the global emergency status for COVID-19, the United Nations health agency warned that the threat remains.
Following the WHO announcement, former Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire warned that the public should not be complacent as the pandemic is not yet over.
A month earlier, Vergeire said that the country’s healthcare system must be better prepared before the state of public health emergency is lifted.
The Philippines has confirmed over 4.1 million COVID-19 infections, with more than 66,000 fatalities, since the pandemic began in early 2020. There were 8,244 active cases as of Sunday.
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