The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday expressed optimism that the state of public health emergency in the country over the COVID-19 and Mpox will end next year.
Meanwhile, the seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate had decreased in several areas in the country, with that of the National Capital Region (NCR) now down to 13.9 percent, based on the data shown by independent monitoring OCTA Research Group.
DOH offi cer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire made the remark following a World Health Organization (WHO) statement saying it hoped that COVID would no longer be a global health emergency sometime in 2023.
WHO also urged China to share information that could pinpoint how the pandemic started.
“We are very hopeful because WHO gave this declaration. But the public also needs to understand that we still need to be very cautious because as the WHO said, we still have to see that critical cases and deaths due to COVID-19 continue to decrease,” Vergeire said in a radio interview.
“Hopefully by next year, we can already see that this public health emergency will be lifted,” she said.
The state of public health emergency in the Philippines was declared in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, by then President Rodrigo Duterte.
Under Proclamation 922, the state of a public health emergency would remain in force until lifted or withdrawn by the President.
The country is also currently under a state of calamity due to the coronavirus outbreak after President Ferdinand Marcos extended it until December 31, 2022.
