‘KEEP YOUR MASKS ON’: Duterte junks face mask lift to sustain COVID cases dip

It seems that Filipinos failed to feel a breath of fresh air once again as President Rodrigo Duterte refuses to order the removal of face masks despite low numbers shown on recent COVID-19 statistics in his talk to the people aired on March 22.

The president confirms this in a pre-recorded address as he encounters reports regarding a new COVID mutation found in Israel that is subject to confirmation even when the Philippines controls to curb the number of active COVID-19 cases.

“So whether we like it or not, kung totoo ‘yan, it will reach again the shores of our country,” Duterte explained.

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III applauds the decision as he sees the compliance of face masks along with minimum public health standards (MPHS) as a key instrument on minimizing the spread of COVID cases.

“Masking, hindi pa natin po ito pwedeng pakawalan. Kinakailangan po patuloy natin sundin ang panuntunan ng atin pong Department of Health at ng IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force],” the DOH chief remarked.

In his weekly report regarding the COVID-19 status of the country, Duque commends the continuing decrease of the active cases recorded weekly, as DOH has recorded 3,431 new cases from March 15 to 21 with an average of 490 daily cases, compared to last week’s tally with 3,951 patients with a daily average of 564.

Additionally, this week’s numbers reported 653 fatalities while also presenting 4,571 recoveries, mentioning a decreasing trend of COVID cases through the presented epidemic curve, stating that even regional areas show a consistent decline on active cases recorded.

The DOH chief implied that the consistent compliance of wearing face masks and other minimum public health standards plays a part in maintaining the decline of the COVID cases.

“In fact, ayon po sa monthly survey na isinasagawa ng John[s] Hopkins University, naglalaro sa 93 to 96 percent ang compliance ng Pilipinas to masking according doon po sa mga respondents na na-interview nitong nakaraang September 2021 hanggang February 2022. At sa ibabaw nito, may dagdag din po na 55 to 68 percent na mga respondents na nagsabi na sila ay nagkukusang umiwas sa pakikihalubilo sa ibang mga tao nitong huling anim na buwan,” Duque explained.

The only fall among the rises

Explaining the secret behind Philippines' trend decline compared to other countries whose cases are on the rise, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. refers to the Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) model that the country possesses a stronger immunity wall due to the variety of vaccines that the government offers.

“The Philippines have a portfolio of eight different types of vaccines using almost all of the various platforms, and we have proven that all of these vaccines are effective. At maganda rin po ang timing po ng mga deliveries dahil po noong nag-deliver po tayo ng maraming vaccine ay noong marami po tayong surges,” told Galvez.

The National Task Force (NTF) COVID-19 chief implementer implied that the vaccines were at its best effect because it was delivered to the country the same time as surges came into play.

“We suffered several waves of surges. In the end, nakatulong pala ito sa immunity. Notwithstanding also na ang ating mga kababayan ay naging resilient at ang kanilang strong observance sa masking at saka 'yung minimum health standard ay malaki po ang naitulong para sa another layer of protection,” he added.

Duque earlier stated that vaccine coverage also influenced the decreasing trends as he informs that more than 72 percent of their target population is fully vaccinated or 65 million Filipinos, breaking it down from 88 percent of adults from 18 to 59 years old, 75 percent of senior citizens, and 77 percent of adolescents ranging from 12 – 17 years of age.

Other viruses on lockdown

When asked about the beneficial contribution of masks and the other health standards, Duque reported the continuous fall of reported dengue cases in Southeast Asia and Latin America because of strict social distancing protocols brought by the COVID-19 crisis.

“Ito ay iniuugnay sa mobility restriction sa mga lugar na naroroon at maging sa pagsasara ng mga eskuwelahan na kung saan maaaring mabungkad ang mga lamok na nagdadala ng dengue virus,” he continued.

He showed the comparison between the cases of dengue fever along the recent years, reporting that 2020 and 2021 saw a huge decrease of infectants compared to the pre-pandemic era, which has been the same issue for other diseases like acute bloody diarrhea, acute meningitis, and whooping cough or pertussis.

Duque also set Europe as an example when their health guidelines helped them ease the situation of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles in Netherlands, and acute meningitis in France as lockdowns were also imposed.

In the end of his report, Duque warned people to vaccinate and complete it for people who have already received their first dose, while also telling the public about getting booster shots after three months of their last vaccination.