WHO warns Manila against ‘low-risk’ virus category

MANILA: A World Health organisation ( WHO) official on Tuesday warned the health department against giving the “wrong message” that the country has already achieved a “low-risk” category for its reported success in further preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.

Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the WHO representative to the Philippines, said such “wrong message” could lead to lower compliance in the minimum health standards especially the mandatory use of face mask and face shield, washing of hands as well as the observance of social distancing and the ban on social gatherings.

“I think we need to be more cautious. It’s not costly to err on the side of caution,” Abeyasinghe told ABS-CBN News.

“We need to be more consistent in our messaging. The public needs to be aware that the (COVID) risk remains.” “They need to follow protocols,” he added.

“They need to to follow the minimum health standards. So, we have to be careful here.”

Abeyasinghe was reacting to the claim of Department of Health (DOH) officials that the country has already achieved the “low risk” classification, claiming the success it has accomplished in the campaign against the pandemic.

More specifically, the DOH cited what it claimed was the negative growth in cases and lower daily atack rate to stop the rapid increase in COVID-19 infections in Metro Manila, composed f 16 cities and one town with a total population of 12 million, earlier classified as the epicenter of the pandemic.

The DOH pointed out that the significant reduction in COVID-19 cases was not only achieved in Metro Manila, officially known as the National Capital Region, but also in neighbouring provinces like Rizal, Laguna, Batangas and Cavite in Southern Luzon as well as Bulacan and Pampanga in Central Luzon.

However, Abeyasinghe said the number of vaccinations in the Philippines has been “nowhere near” the rate needed to rule out any surge in virus infections in the future despite the progress achieved in Metro Manila.

“So we continue to urge...that we use the available vaccines rationally, meaning we use the vaccines recognising the we have a limited supply to protect the most at risk, the most vulnerable, so can we can potentially prevent the overwhelming of the hospitals if and when a surge of the Delta variant and another variant happens,” he said.