Nilinaw ng Department of Health (DOH) na naka-hanay din sa stratehiya ng ibang bansa at medical research agencies ang polisiya ng estado pagdating sa recoveries ng COVID-19.
Pahayag ito ng ahensya matapos ulanin ng batikos ang biglang pag-uulat nila ng malaking bilang ng recoveries nitong Huwebes ng gabi.
“This disease is evolving so everytime there would be definitions, criteria that will be issued by experts and then WHO would provide recommendations and we just try to align with whatever international evidence there is,” ani Health Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire sa isang press briefing.
“Since the start, because of this very vague information and definition on recoveries internationally with experts, we were able to issue guidelines wherein we said that the 14 days incubation period is what we will be adopting.”
Kung titingnan ang recovery policy ng Pilipinas sa pagtukoy ng mga gumaling o recoveries, halos pareho na ito sa ipinatutupad na polisiya ng Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) ng Estados Unidos at Europe. Sa ilalim ng mga polisya, kailangan munang ideklara na clinically recovered ang isang confirmed case.
“Ang clinical recovery is defined as fever resolution or symptom improvement and can be a criteria for discharging patient from the hospital or quarantine facility.”
Pareho rin ang polisiya ng bansa sa ipinatutupad ng US CDC at India pagdating sa testing, kung saan hindi na inirerekomenda ang negative test result para masabing gumaling na ang pasyente.
“Across countries, repeat test no longer required… except for Vietnam wherein because they control their cases initially, but now there is a resurgence of cases. So they decided that they will go back to this testing criteria where they are now requiring two consecutive negative PCR tests withing 48 hours.”
Sa isolation naman, hindi rin nagkakalayo ang polisiya ng Pilipinas at Vietnam.
“This is where differences are mostly evident. Different guidelines show that isolation criteria for recovery can range from 7 to 14 days from the onset or the discharge.”
“For the Philippines, 14 days from the onset of illness, but it was interpreted as additional 14 days from the discharge. Kaya nga 21 days talaga yung nagtot-total, yun ang common interpretation.”
Iginiit ni Usec. Vergeire na scientific-based ang kanilang mga polisiyang ipinatutupad. Tugon din ito ng ahensya sa gitna ng mga pangamba na posibleng makahawa ang mga mild at asymptomatic cases na idineklarang COVID-19 recovery.
