Doctors warn that cutting away can lead to an increase in infections

MANILA, Philippines – The medical community warned Monday that the untimely decision by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to gradually reduce physical distancing in public vehicles would only increase coronavirus infections, especially as the country has yet to experience a significant decline. in the number of new COVID-19 cases.

The Alliance of Health Professionals against COVID-19 noted that, while recognizing the need to open the economy more, it is “against the relaxation of the rules of physical distancing” because it is still “too early” to modify or soften measures that have been shown to slow the spread of the virus.

‘Many will get sick’

“The question is not whether or not we should reduce social distancing, but when we can do it. In our opinion, it is still too early. Cases will likely increase and our recovery will only slow if we do this now, ”said Dr. Antonio Dans, spokesman for the coalition of more than 160 medical societies.

“We know that health is not just the problem. That it is also an issue that the economy must reactivate and that it is an issue that people have to work on. Many will get sick with this strategy. That is why we must talk among ourselves to agree on the best strategy to defeat this pandemic, “he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a physical distance of at least 1 meter.

Despite the apparent absence of scientific evidence to show how its policy review could affect the COVID-19 situation in the country, DOTr went ahead with its plan to reduce the required distance between 1 meter to 0.75 meters. Travelers in public vehicles on Monday as the Department of Health (DOH) reported 4,699 additional infections that brought the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 265,888.

The DOH said 259 more patients had died, bringing the death toll from COVID-19 to 4,630. It was the largest increase in deaths in a single day since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Recoveries increased by 249, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 207,504 and, considering deaths, leaving the country with 53,754 active cases.

DOTr announced the relaxation on Friday. The new rule of physical distancing will be gradually reduced to 0.5 meters after two weeks and 0.3 meters after another two weeks.

Model presented to the working group

Over the weekend, Dans said his group worked on models to see what the effect of the policy would be following the request for data and recommendations from the medical community of the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases “to assist in your decision. “

However, Dans did not disclose how high the number of new infections would be if the new DOTr rules were not stopped.

“What we can say is that it will definitely increase. We submitted to the [task force] a model with various assumptions. They would be the ones who would enter the final data. So let’s wait what their decision would be, ”he said.

Last month, the medical community called for quarantine measures to be tightened in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces, as they expressed alarm that the country was “fighting a losing battle against COVID-19.” She urged the government to use the two-week lockdown to recalibrate its strategies to curb the spread of the virus.

According to Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, the slightly lower number of daily cases this month can be attributed to the re-imposition of the blockade. So if the country let its guard down, infections would increase.

“The critical message is that the virus is still here. Just waiting [for an opportunity] spread, ”Lim said.

Dr. Maricar Limpin, vice president of the Philippine College of Physicians, said previously that DOH should take the lead and agencies should listen to him as he has the knowledge to stop the outbreak.

Conversations in progress

“We need [the] DOH Leadership. It’s time that we all listen [the] DOH. We cannot be doing things on our own and trying to outdo each other. What we need is unity and for [the] DOH to [lead]Limpin said.

However, DOH declined to give a categorical response on whether it was wise to reduce physical distancing at this time. Instead, he advised the public to take vehicles where a distance of at least one meter can be observed.

“[The] DOTr is responsible for issuing and enforcing transportation guidelines to ensure that the health and safety of the public are not compromised. Dice [the] In DOTr’s decision to optimize physical distancing in transportation and in the interest of public health, we call on the public to be more vigilant in situations where distancing cannot be practiced and, if possible, choose to participate. in activities or use transportation options that allow a minimum distance of 1 meter, ”said the Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire.

Vergeire dodged the question when pressed whether DOH was in favor of the DOTr measure, saying that talks were ongoing and that “we will see in the next few days what the outcome of that will be.”

On Monday, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the government was willing to sit down with medical experts to discuss the matter.

Roque said the coronavirus task force approved reducing physical distancing in public vehicles at a meeting last week.

“It was approved by the [task force] because we can’t reopen the economy if we don’t increase our transportation capacity, “he said.

In a television interview on Monday, the Secretary of the Interior, Eduardo Año, said that the reduction of physical distancing had been requested by the government’s economic team and by local governments to expand the capacity of public transport so that more people could go to to work.

But the task force may reconsider its decision after opposition from the medical community, Ano said, adding that he personally preferred the 1 meter physical distance rule.

He said the task force will discuss the matter during its meeting on Tuesday.

Defending DOTr’s decision at a press conference Monday, Transportation Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon said the agency has just heard “the call of the Filipinos” to expand public transportation capacity.

Tuazon said that neither the rail sector nor the highway sector had requested the reduction of physical distancing.

He said the DOTr’s decision was based on a study by the International Union of Railways that showed that transmission of the coronavirus did not originate from public transportation, particularly trains.

José Arturo García, general manager of the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority, declined to comment Monday, saying he did not want to get ahead of the discussion of the matter by the coronavirus working group.

But Navotas Mayor Tobias Tiangco said he did not see the logic behind DOTr’s decision, as the health sector has been recommending the 1 meter physical distance rule for the past six months to slow the spread of the virus.

“We have already achieved the flattening of the curve. This means that our previous measures, including physical distancing in public transport, have been effective. We must always prioritize the health and safety of Filipinos, ”said Tiangco.

–With reporting by Julie M. Aurelio, Jeannette I. Andrade, and Meg Adonis

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

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