Quarantine, health protocols must stay to prevent new surge - President Duterte
Filipinos
have to continue abiding quarantine protocols and wearing of face masks and
face shields to prevent a second wave of infections with the Delta variant,
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said Monday night.
 |
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on June 21, 2021. SIMEON CELI/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
In a meeting on government’s COVID-19 interventions, President Duterte said all safety measures must stay in place to prevent community transmission of the Delta variant which has the potential to cause a second wave of infections in the country, being four times more contagious than the original virus.
“So
I cannot afford to place the nation, the national interest of the Republic by
just, you know, sometimes adopting this and being lenient to this. I said, I
know that it is a very tedious, if you may, but it is really to prevent a
disaster of our nation,” he said.
Noting
how other Filipinos have expressed hope to go mask-free, the President said the
country may not be ready to do away with both face masks and face shields,
saying that it’s a small inconvenience and a “very small price to pay” rather
than risk a second wave of infections over the Delta variant.
The
initial coronavirus surge in the Philippines exhausted the country’s resources,
he said, noting why the government is doing all it can to prevent a second wave
of infections from happening.
According
to the President, a second surge would be disastrous for the country.
“Iyong
nangyari sa ating, ‘yong first wave, it has depleted really the resources of
government. Now, another one would be disastrous for this country. That is why
the stricter you are, the better,” he said.
On
the other hand, Task Force on COVID-19 Variants member Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, who
was also present during the meeting, cited several studies that prove the use
of face shields can prevent 78 percent of infections by blocking droplets or
aerosol particles from entering the eyes.
For
example, a study conducted in India revealed that health workers who didn’t use
face shields while going house-to-house in communities got infected with COVID,
while those who used face shields while performing house-to-house tasks
remained healthy.
Likewise,
the Ong-Lim said several studies also determined that the use of face masks can
reduce up to 85 percent of COVID-19 infections; while physical distancing can
help reduce infections by 82 percent.
“Wala
pong nag-iisang intervention na puwede pong magbigay ng buong proteksyon. But
of course, 'pag pinagsasama-sama po natin 'to nakakatulong. And this is what we
advise in our minimum public health standards as necessary for mitigation of
transmission of COVID-19,” she said.
Moreover,
Dr. Edsel Salvana said in order to protect Filipinos from the Delta variant,
arriving individuals must abide the “10 plus 4” quarantine strategy of
government, noting that this quarantine setup has been scientifically proven to
reduce coronavirus infections.
The
10 plus 4 strategy requires people to undergo 10-day quarantine in a government
facility upon arrival and spend 4 days home quarantine right after, while
testing is done on the 7th day, he said.
According
to the health expert, the Delta variant can infect up to eight persons in
contrast to the original virus which could only infect two individuals.
“The
Delta variant is really very scary and this is all the more reason why we
should police our borders po kasi it only takes one variant to get in and then
puwedeng mag-India-like surge po tayo kasi mataas po talaga ‘yong number of
people na kayang i-infect ng isang taong mayroong Delta variant,” he said.
Loosening
quarantine protocols has been proven to cause a surge, Salvana said, citing the
case of Taiwan who faced a surge in infections despite initially managing
COVID-19 well, after shortening the quarantine period of their pilots from five
to three days.
Salvana
noted that 17 persons have arrived in the country with the Delta virus but the
existing quarantine protocols have prevented its transmission.
“Our
quarantine recommendations are going to protect our borders,” he stressed.
The
health expert also noted that individuals who have received only one shot of
the vaccine may still get infected by the Delta variant. PND
