By Christine Fabro
The World Health Organization Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe lauded the country for having an effective COVID-19 pandemic response despite its limited resources to contain the virus.
During a public briefing on Monday (July 12), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque read Abeyasinghe’s statement from an ANC Headstart interview on July 6, where he said that fatalities here are relatively lower than countries that have higher capacity.
“Even with limited capacity, the number of people who have succumbed to the virus is relatively lower compared to countries that have higher capacity and resources,” Abeyasinghe said.
“[The] Philippines has done a good job. The Philippines is a middle-income country. You cannot expect them to have a First World-type response,” he added.
As of July 12, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 5,204 new cases, bringing the total confirmed to 1,478,061 with 49,128 active cases.
DOH also reported 5,811 new recoveries, totaling to 1,402,918, while 100 more have succumbed to COVID-19, raising the death toll to 26,015. -rir
