Escudero: DOH ‘riding out’ COVID-19 crisis in PH ‘until vaccine is invented’

Sorsogon Gov. Francis “Chiz” Escudero. Photo by Christian Cardano (Office of Gov. Escudero)

MANILA, Philippines — For Sorsogon Gov. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the Department of Health (DOH) is merely “riding out” the prevailing COVID-19 outbreak in the country until a vaccine for the potentially deadly disease is created.

Escudero said he does not “see nor feel any active/serious efforts being done” by DOH to effectively address the public health crisis.

“I think DOH is just ‘riding out’ COVID-19 until a vaccine is invented,” the former senator wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

I think DOH is just “riding out” COVID-19 until a vaccine is invented. I dont see nor feel any active/serious efforts being done by it. The DOH, as the lead agency of the IATF should do precisely that – lead in a proactive way & not simply be content in reporting out statistics.

— Chiz Escudero (@SayChiz) July 28, 2020

Escudero further said: “DOH, as the lead agency of the IATF should do precisely that – lead in a proactive way [and] not simply be content in reporting out statistics.”

IATF stands for Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

INQUIRER.net has reached out to DOH for its comment on Escudero’s statement. However, as of this posting, INQUIRER.net has yet to get a response from DOH.

Four days before the end of July, the Philippines recorded a total of 82,040 cases of COVID-19, a serious respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2. Of this number, 1,945 patients died while 26,446 managed to recover.

Malacañang earlier warned that Metro Manila may revert to a stricter quarantine measure if COVID-19 cases in the region reach 85,000 by July 31. The county’s capital region has been an epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

KGA