(Photo courtesy of Manila-PIO)
MANILA – National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. bared the key imperatives to end the public health crisis while the government pushes for an aggressive vaccination program.
Galvez said the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategy must be sustained.
"Though we are doing the aggressive vaccination, we need to further strengthen the surveillance and sustain the mitigation," Galvez said during a public briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday night.
"So 'yun ating PDITR strategy at saka 'yung tinatawag na continuous testing at continuous genomic surveillance of variants and sustained public health measure, kailangan po nating ma-maintain po 'yun (The PDITR strategy as well as continuous testing, genomic surveillance of variants and sustained public health measure must be maintained)," he added.
Similar strategies are also being done in other countries, Galvez said.
"Though they are aggressively vaccinating, mini-maintain pa rin po nila 'yung tinatawag po nila na (they are still maintaining the) phased opening (of businesses)," he said.
Galvez also cited that in the United States, the demand for vaccines has decreased.
"Nakikita po natin sa US noong dati, nag-a-average po sila ng five million a day. Ngayon po bumaba po ng more or less one million na lang po o 800,000. Meaning, talagang bumababa po pagka po nagkaroon po ng saturation point na 50 percent of their population ay talagang bumababa po 'yung demand (We noticed before in the United States, they are averaging five million a day. Now it has been reduced to more or less one million only to even 800,000. Meaning, the saturation point has decreased to 50 percent of the population and the demand eventually reduced)," he said.
Galvez said there is also a possibility of reducing the country's demand once it gets to the saturation point of 60 or 50 percent.
"So 'yung ating objective na magkaroon po ng (our objective to have a) herd immunity by having 70 percent or even 80 percent of our population ay magiging malaking (would be a huge) challenge," he added. (PNA)
