A Department of Health (DOH) report showed no less than 42 countries have confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, but DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said the latest data suggest that the variant is “mild.”
This was based on the latest dialogues with the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding Omicron.
“Number one, lumalabas ho na mukhang dumadami ang ebidensiya na mild ang Omicron, which is good for all of us. Number two, wala pa pong reported death, Mr. President, on account of Omicron variant,” Duque told President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday (Dec. 6).
This was supported by molecular biologist and OCTA Research fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, who said “Omicron hospitalizations are quite low.”
“So you have only something to the effect of 42 to 29 hospitalizations despite the thousands of individuals who are testing positive for COVID-19,” he said.
Austriaco expressed optimism that Filipinos have a strong defense against the new variant with the high vaccination rate of the Philippines. He said the lowest level of infection was also recorded despite increased mobility.
Fr. Austriaco: We are currently with Delta, the most infectious variant in the past 20 months, the highest mobility level in the past 20 months… and yet we are experiencing the lowest levels of cases and hospitalizations in 20 months.
— PTVph (@PTVph) December 6, 2021
From Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, the average daily case count in the Philippines is 526, which is 41% lower than the figures reported in the preceding week. This brought the Philippines down to the minimal risk category in terms of COVID-19.
Duque said it is not yet time to downgrade the National Capital Region (NCR) to Alert Level 1 due to the expected mobility increase and the Omicron threat.
“We are buying time para mapalakas natin ang ating health systems capacity at siyempre ‘yung vaccination trajectory, kinakailangan ipagpatuloy ito,” he said in the Tuesday (Dec.
7) Laging Handa briefing.
“Kahit na Omicron pa siya ay matatalo ‘yan ‘pag ang taong bayan ay susunod sa minimum public health standards, ‘yung mask, hugas, iwas, and of course ‘yung bakunahan natin,” he added.
To date, more than 91.7 million COVID-19 doses have been administered nationwide, including 9.9 million doses administered in the Bayanihan, Bakunahan drive from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3.
The government is aiming to administer 7 million doses in the second round of national vaccination days from Dec. 15 to 17 in a bid to reach 54 million fully vaccinated individuals by year-end. – Report from Mark Fetalco/AG- bny
Watch the report here:
