On Monday, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa expressed his intention to advocate for the lifting of the Public Health Emergency declaration in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing reporters, Herbosa stated, “Wala nang emergency diba [There’s no more emergency right]?… I think I would actually ask the lifting of the Public Health Emergency in the country.”
Herbosa drew a parallel between COVID-19 and other common illnesses, remarking, “It’s just one of the diseases we monitor, just like influenza and coughs, colds, etc.”
According to the latest data from the agency’s tracker, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 66,482 individuals in the Philippines. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of 6,945,714 deaths worldwide caused by the coronavirus.
Herbosa added, “The alert level system will stay kasi [because] that’s a system like the typhoon signal that stays but actually, parang hindi na siya [it’s as if it’s no longer] a public health emergency.”
Former President Rodrigo Duterte initially declared a public health emergency and a state of calamity in response to COVID-19 in March 2020.
In May 2023, the WHO stated that COVID-19 was no longer considered a public health emergency of international concern.
However, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently emphasized that the country’s COVID-19 health status remains the same, following the WHO’s declaration.
On the other hand, Marcos decided against extending the state of calamity related to the disease, which expired on December 31, 2022.
Source: PhilNews24 | June 27, 2023
