The government is now mulling of making vaccination mandatory and reimposing stricter minimum health standards amid the public health threat posed by the Omicron variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Last Monday, President Rodrigo R. Duterte announced he will support the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (novel coronavirus disease) if it will recommend making the inoculation against Covid-19 mandatory.
“As a worker of the government in charge of all government. I may agree with the task force if they decide to make it mandatory,” Duterte said in a public address.
Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año said the national government cannot make vaccination mandatory since there is no existing law to serve its basis.
But he noted they are encouraging the local government units (LGU) to pass such ordinances, which will make vaccination a requirement to help the government achieve its target of vaccinating most of its population against Covid-19.
As of Nov. 28, 2021, the government only fully vaccinated 35.6 million of the country’s over 100 million population against Covid-19.
Potential threat
Duterte issued the statement on vaccination after medical experts and members of the NTF discussed the potential threat of Covid-causing Omicron variant.
The World Health Organization (WHO) already declared the Omicron a variant of concern due to its heavy mutations, which makes it infectious.
Health experts abroad said the mutations may make its Omicron more resistant to existing vaccines, but Presidential Adviser for Covid-19 Response Vivencio “Vince” B. Dizon called this “fake news.”
Citing the report of Edsel T. Salvana, Department of Health-Technical Advisory Group, Dizon said existing vaccines will still “significantly protect” against severe Covid-19.
Salvana also said in his presentation to Duterte that early indication showed that the Omicron variant is “possibly” more transmissible, but not as deadlier compared to other Covid variants.
Nevertheless, he recommended for the government to take additional precautions against the Omicron by implementing stricter border control and implementation of minimum health standards as well as expanding the rollout of minimum health standards.
Amid the forecast of health experts that it may only take some time before the Omicron variants enter the country, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said proposed expanding the wearing of face shields in crowded and close-contact areas once again.
The said proposal is expected to be tackled in the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Thursday along with the proposal on whether to increase or reduce existing passenger capacity for public utility vehicles.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila