Health experts urges tighter border controls vs. Omicron variant threat

A logo is pictured on the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 25, 2020. The WHO has warned that the COVID-19 Omicron poses a “very high” global risk. (File photo from REUTERS)

MANILA, Philippines — Health experts recommended on Monday further tightening border controls amid the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The health experts had earlier met with President Rodrigo Duterte and members of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) to discuss plans on how to get ready for the Omicron variant, which was considered to be more dangerous than the Delta variant.


ADVERTISEMENT

Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, an expert on pediatric infectious diseases, said one action the government could take to prevent another surge was to learn from the country’s experience from the Delta variant.

“When the Delta variant was identified in India in May, it took almost two months before it entered the Philippines because we tightened our border controls,” Lim said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino during the taped televised briefing with the president.

FEATURED STORIES
NEWSINFO


Quiboloy warns of ‘much worse than Omicron virus’ if his ‘persecution’ is not stopped

NEWSINFO


Marcoleta defends pol ads on ABS-CBN

NEWSINFO


Archaeologists find 800-year old mummy in Peru

“So maybe one can study this so we can buy more time to be able to strengthen our health infrastructure to be ready for the worst eventuality,” she added.

Dr. Marissa Alejandria, director of the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology (ICE), stressed the importance of preparing for the new variant.

“Knowing that there’s a surge now in Europe, for us that’s lead time to review our capacity and strengthen our health system,” Alejandria said.

“We really need to be strict in enforcing our border controls or protocols so we need to review them again,” she added.

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año admitted that, while border controls have been tightened in general, those in the southern area of the Philippines remained “porous.”

“Our border in the south is porous. That’s what we have to guard because that’s where Filipino Muslims from Sabbah, from Malaysia, or Indonesia get in without going through the ports,” Año said.

Because of this, he said the Department of the Interior and Local Government would a directive to strictly monitor the region.


ADVERTISEMENT

The government earlier added to its red list seven countries with confirmed cases of the Omicron variant and suspended the entry of even fully vaccinated travelers from less-infected countries.

However, the government has yet to close the borders on some countries — including Hong Kong and Australia — that have both confirmed to have detected Omicron cases and where there is a high concentration of Filipinos who may want to be repatriated.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization earlier warned that the Omicron variant posed ‘very high’ global risk and urged countries to prepare.


RELATED STORIES



Omicron poses ‘very high’ global risk, countries must prepare–WHO



PH updates ‘red list,’ travel ban imposed on 7 more countries



IATF tightens border control, suspends entry of fully vaxxed travelers from ‘green’ countries



Omicron variant entry to PH only ‘a matter of when,’ says Duque



PH Genome Center exec sees need to retrace COVID samples amid Omicron variant


ATM

Subscribe to our daily newsletter


For more news about the novel coronavirus click

here.



What you need to know about Coronavirus.



For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this


link

.


Read Next


‘I want to shoot that crazy thing,’ Duterte says of COVID-19 Omicron variant


EDITORS’ PICK


MOST READ


Don’t miss out on the latest news and information.







View comments