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MAYNILA - Ipinapanukala ni Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion na alisin na ang "state of public health emergency" sa bansa dulot ng COVID-19, at kaakibat nito ay isinusulong na rin niyang gawing "opsiyonal" ang pagsusuot ng face masks.

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"Lifting the state of public health emergency would promote confidence among the population… It would be just the right time as all over the world, economies are starting to resume normal activity," ani Concepcion.

Sa ngayon, lagpas 1 buwan nang hindi sumasampa sa 300 ang bilang ng nadadagdag na COVID-19 cases sa Pilipinas kada araw, kahit na nagdaan ang malalaking pagtitipon noong panahon ng kampanya at eleksiyon.

Pero kontra dito si OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David.

"Mahirap kung premature na aalisin natin. Nangyari 'yan sa New York, inalis na ang facemask tapos nagkaroon sila ng BA.2.12.1. Binalik ang face mask. Pag manatiling mababa ang cases over the next months, pagpasok ng bagong administrasyon, baka puwedeng pag-usapan, i-relax ang use of face masks outdoors muna, then saka na 'yung indoors," ani David.

Sang-ayon dito ang infectious disease expert na si Dr. Rontgene Solante, kahit na aniya'y posibleng hindi na sumipa pa ang bilang ng malalang kaso ng COVID-19 sa Pilipinas sa loob ng ilang buwan hangga't walang sumusulpot na panibagong variant of concern.

"We had that super-spreader events with the campaign and the elections, and yet our cases are not as high as we expected it. In terms of the symptoms that those persons developed, most are mild," ani Solante.

"I don't think in the next few months we will have a surge that will also overwhelm our hospital capacity. We may be seeing some uptick in the cases, but I don't think it will be in proportion that we had in January or during the delta variant," aniya.

Bumaba na rin sa buong mundo ang nadadagdag na COVID-19 cases at mga pagkamatay na dulot nito.

Pero giit ng World Health Organization na dapat maging maingat sa pagtingin ng mga ganitong datos dahil lumiliit din ang bilang ng mga sumasailalim sa COVID-19 tests sa maraming bansa.

-- Ulat ni Raphael Bosano, ABS-CBN News