NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., (File photo)
MANILA – The National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 and Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) have activated a crisis action plan to effectively contain and mitigate the highly transmissible Covid-19 strains, such as the Delta variant, as the National Capital Region and other areas in the country are placed under lockdown.
“Our Crisis Action Plan’s mission shall be the implementation of contingency operations in preparation for and response to an exponential increase in Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases due to the emergence of new variants at the national level,” NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said in a news release issued on August 5.
These contingency operations are implemented to defer and respond to the threat posed by “new Covid-19 variants of concern,” Galvez added.
The crisis action plan is aligned with the National Action Plan Phase 4 and focuses on the enhanced implementation of the Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, Reintegrate, plus Vaccinate (PDITR+V) strategy, as well as the four-door strategy of stricter border control, heightened surveillance, quick response, and focus and expand mass vaccination.
“As we speak, and even as the variants of concern, such as the Delta variant, were being discovered, the NTF and IATF have already been taking actions. Many of these are preparations for the implementation of contingency measures,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
According to Vergeire, the early implementation of the four-door strategy, specifically Door 1 (point of origin) and Door 2 (point of entry) has “delayed” the entry of the Delta variant.
Such measures as travel bans and restrictions, as well as screening, quarantine, and testing at the point of entry, were able to minimize the entry and spread of the Delta variant.
“Now that the country has detected local cases of the Delta variant, Doors 3 and 4 are being activated. Door 3 would involve strengthening the implementation of the PDITR strategies to prevent further local transmission, while Door 4 will prepare and ensure that our health care capacity is ready for a wide-scale community transmission by enhancing our PDITR+ strategies,” Vergeire added.
Restructuring to intensify response efforts
Galvez said the formulation of the action plan also involved restructuring the NTF for greater synergy between policy and operations.
While the initial operational setup of the task force involved only three clusters – vaccine, response, and recovery – it has been expanded to include the response cluster with communities, health facilities, and borders sub-clusters to activate community-level 2 response efforts, increase health care capacities, and create buffer supplies in all levels while strengthening external and internal borders.
“The restructuring of our operational setup is aligned with the four-door strategy and part of our preemptive measures against the Delta variant. This allows us to intensify our response efforts and be more coherent in the delivery of services as we anticipate an increase in cases caused by the Delta or any variants of concern,” Galvez explained.
He said corresponding measures are being carried out by the different NTF clusters and sub-clusters as each door is being activated.
Strict border control through travel restrictions, monitoring of all points of entry, and minimized interzonal and intrazonal movement have been implemented since Door 1 was activated.
Meanwhile, heightened surveillance is being carried out during the activation of Door 2. This includes active case finding, securing the capacity of all laboratories nationwide, and building capacities for whole genome sequencing through satellite centers.
As the government activates Doors 3 and 4, the task force is now capable of carrying out a quick response at all levels through different Emergency Operations Centers and One Hospital Command Centers at the national and regional levels.
“In this manner, we are able to focus on not just minimizing the entry but also in mitigating the possible effects of widespread community transmission. We need to anticipate all possible scenarios and prepare for the worst because we cannot just wait for our health care workers and our health care system to get overwhelmed,” Galvez said.
He underscored that the vaccination program will continue as part of the interventions in managing the highly transmissible variants of Covid-19.
“We are re-strategizing our implementation, as well as our vaccine supply allocation in order to be ready in the event of an uptick in cases. This will ensure that vaccines will be given to those who need them the most and those who are highly vulnerable to the disease and death,” he said.
Galvez said contingency plans are being put in place in different vaccination sites, as well as for health care workers nationwide, as hospitals are not allowed to administer vaccinations on-site for the time being.
Likewise, quick response teams are also being organized for ring vaccination in areas under lockdown.
“We are also carefully assessing our vaccine inventory to ensure the allocation for the second dose, as well as to prioritize the deployment of supplies for the highly vulnerable sectors in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” said Galvez.
He noted that the recovery cluster, led by the National Economic and Development Authority, is focused on ensuring that the delivery of essential government services remains uninterrupted, as well as preparing for the social and economic recovery of the country once the stringent quarantine measures are lifted. (PR)
