Secretary Carlito Galvez, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and concurrent Chief Implementer of the National Task Force on COVID-19. Photo courtesy of OPAPP Communications Unit
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 17 February) — The government is preparing an “endgame plan” in preparation for the transition from pandemic to an endemic state once the country achieves its desired rate of vaccination against COVID-19, National Inter-Agency Task Force chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez said on Wednesday.
“Napag-usapan na namin sa (We have discussed it at the) IATF before, ating (our) implementation sa (of) new normal, itong tinatawag nating (what we call) ‘endgame plan,’ in preparation for the end of the pandemic, or normalization, ay gagawin po natin (will be done ) this Wednesday (Fe. 23), and it will be implemented by the first week of March,” Galvez said.
He said the technical working group aims to complete the plan on Feb. 23.
He said transitioning to normalization requires vaccinating at least 70% to 80% of the country’s total population, especially children 5 to 11 years old in time for the opening of classes by August this year.
He said the NIATF targets to vaccinate majority, if not all, of the students by March.
Galvez, also the country’s vaccination czar, said President Duterte wanted to prioritize vaccinating children and teenagers because they are the future of the nation.
“We finish by the end of February the planning and laying down of details for phase implementation,” he said, adding there will be a sequential easing of restrictions.
Dr. Norvie Jalani, Zamboanga City Medical Center epidemiologist explained in an interview that “endemic is a measure of disease frequency in epidemiology where the disease becomes permanently present in a locality because the area becomes the natural reservoir or habitat of the causative organism.”
This simply means that if at least 70% to 80% of the people are already fully immunized, some even with booster doses, many would have greater immunity to COVID-19 even if it remains prevalent or perennially present, Jalani added.
Galvez on Wednesday went to Sumisip town in Basilan to check on the inoculation of children 5 to 11 years old.
He then returned to Zamboanga City, and as Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, joined Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven Robinson in an evening event that called for a renewal of friendship ties at the National Museum in historic Fort Pilar. (Frencie Carreon/MindaNews)