(File photo) MANILA - A health expert said extensive lockdown is no longer being considered an optionto curb possible surge of Covid-19 cases when highly transmissible subvariants of Omicron enter the country. In a televised public briefing Wednesday, Dr. Rontgene Solante, Vaccine Experts Panel member, said monitoring of the hospital utilization rate nationwide is more important than lockdowns. Department of Health data on May 9 showed that only 14.5 percent or 4,546 out of 26,811 hospital beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients are utilized nationwide. Apart from monitoring healthcare facilities, Solante said it was important to encourage people to be tested for Covid-19 when they have symptoms. "If we don't do the test 'di natin alam kung ano ang nangyayari, ano ang mga kaso natin kagaya ng nangyari for the past week na mababa talaga ang testing natin (We won't know what's happening, our cases, like what happened in the past we really have low testing [rate]),"
(PNA photo by Joey Razon) MANILA - The conduct of regular national vaccination days is the key to ramping up the country's vaccination numbers, an infectious disease expert said Friday. In a televised public briefing, Dr. Rontgene Solante, Vaccine Experts Panel member, suggested that the government should conduct "regular" national vaccination days to reach and protect more people against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). "Ang advantage kasi ng national vaccination days, 'yung accessibility, marami tayong lugar na pwede tayong magbakuna (The advantage of national vaccination days is accessibility, we can vaccinate in many places) compared to without, that there are few places to go to like in the LGU [local government unit], there are selected areas," he said. The National Vaccination Operation Center's scheme of bringing Covid-19 vaccines to every house and workplace has increased the number of doses administered nationwide. Nonetheless, the numb
Vaccine Expert Panel member Dr. Rontgene Solante (File photo) MANILA - The Philippines now is "better off" prepared to exit the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Vaccine Expert Panel member, Dr. Rontgene Solante, said Wednesday. "I think we are on that process now. Our mindset is hopefully we can be exiting with this pandemic, we can exit with this pandemic," Solante said at the Laging Handa press briefing. Solante said the continuous reduction of active Covid-19 cases is an indication that the country can now deal with the virus. "We know how to deal with it [virus] and I think isa sa mga punto natin dito (one of our points here) is we also have available antiviral agents that are appropriate against this infection, we have oral antiviral, we have IV [Intravenous] antivirals," he added. Solante said the country's healthcare facilities are equipped with how to deal with severe Covid-19 symptoms. "So, for me, we are better off prepared
An infectious disease expert said Wednesday that the period when the Philippines would experience a high number of new COVID-19 infections due to the Omicron variant might be shorter compared to that of the Delta variant.