(Eagle News) – Malacanang said that the country is still on the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, refuting an earlier pronouncement by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III that the country is actually on its “second wave” of the disease.
Another health expert, Dr. John Wong had also said that the Philippines is already on the second wave which reportedly started in the first week of March, which is also considered the country’s first major wave.
The first wave, according to Duque and Wong, the first wave started in January when the country first recorded the first three cases of COVID-19, coming from Chinese tourists from Wuhan, the first epicenter of the coronavirus disease.
Roque, in a press briefing clarified that the country is actually still on the first wave, and said that the various interpretation on COVID-19 waves is like lawyers with varied interpretation of the law.
He said that the local transmission of the disease should be part of the first wave, and that President Rodrigo Duterte was right when he said that the country should prevent a second wave from happening.
“Tama po ang ating Presidente, dapat po gumawa tayo ng mga hakbang para makaiwas sa second wave. Tayo po ngayon ay nasa first wave. Kapag sinabi nating ‘wave’, ano ba iyan sa Tagalog? Iyan po ay alon: Ang alon tumataas, bumababa. Kung titingnan ninyo po ang wave ng graph ng mga kaso dito sa Pilipinas, nagsimula po ang first wave natin nang dumating iyong tatlong Tsino na mayroon na pong kasong COVID-19. Pero hindi po community acquired iyan, ganoon pa man, diyan po nagsimula ang first wave,” he explained in a briefing on Thursday, May 21.
-COVID curve just starting to flatten-
Roque said that this period is still the continuation of the first wave. And clarified that the curve of the wave is just starting to flatten.
“Nagpapatuloy po ang first wave. Sa katunayan, nagpatuloy ito sa buwan ng Pebrero na mayroon tayong konting mga kaso na nai-report at lumobo sa buwan ng March. Patuloy pong lumobo iyan hanggang sa buwan ng Mayo kung saan nakikita nga natin ngayon sa graph na ito na bumababa na. Kaya nga kung sinasabi natin bagama’t hindi pa po fully flattened and curve, nagsisimula na po ang pag-flatten ng curve,” he said,
-Different interpretations of COVID wave-
Roque still acknowledged the interpreations of other government officials on the COID-19 waves.
“Eh bakit nasabi po ng ilang tao sa gobyerno na tayo po ay nasa second wave na? Eh alam ninyo po ang medisina para ring mga abogado iyan, iisa lang ang batas namin, iba-iba ang interpretasyon,” he said.
“Ganiyan din po siguro sa medisina ‘no, iisa ang siyensiya, iisa ang datos, iba ang basa. Mayroong ibang bumasa na iyong tatlo na mga Tsino na imported cases ng COVID ay first wave na,” he said.
But the Palace spokesperson said that the wave should include the local transmission of COVID, which started after the cases of the three infected Wuhan tourists who came to the country.
“Pero sa tingin ko kung titingnan natin ang depinisyon ng kurbada, iyong wave na tinatawag, it is the number of cases over a period of time of community acquired cases, eh dapat po siguro simula lamang iyong tatlong kaso ng mga Tsino. Sana po nalinawan kayo dito,” he said.
Roque said that the Palace had consulted three other medical experts to get their opinions on the COVID019 wave, and thanked the doctors for their advice on the issue.
“Sila po ay kapareho ring mga dalubhasa na tumulong po sa atin noong isinulong natin ang Universal Healthcare Law. Sino po sila: Well, si Dra. Espie Cabral, dating Kalihim ng DOH; si Dr. Ernesto Domingo, Magsaysay Awardee for Medicine; at si Dra. Minguita Padilla ng UP-PGH.”
(Eagle News Service)
