Other variants of the Covid-19 would enter the country when border restrictions for foreign travellers are eased, a health expert said.
University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital chair, Dr. Ted Herbosa, who was medical adviser of the defunct National Task Force Against Covid-19, said apart from allowing foreigners to enter the country, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) may also consider the quarantine requirement for the fully vaccinated travellers.
“Risk ‘yan, ‘pag nagluwag tayo ng border restrictions. Papasok ang iba pang mga variants na binabantayan natin at kung ‘di ka na-infect ng variant na ‘yun. May chance na ma-infect ka talaga, pero kung ikaw ay vaccinated, sigurado tayong ikaw ay magkakaroon ng very mild symptoms,” Herbosa said.
The IATF-EID has created a technical working group that will study the country’s border restrictions.
Herbosa said advisory about the wearing of face masks indoors must be observed by incoming foreign travellers.
“Even if we ease our borders, let us wear our masks in enclosed spaces, there would be no case outbreak in the Philippines,” he said.
Herbosa also urged the public to get a shot against Covid-19 and to receive their booster shot if they are eligible.
As of Sept. 18, almost 72.9 million have been fully vaccinated and 18.9 million have received their first booster dose and almost 2.7 million have received their second booster shot. – PNA
July 27, 2024
