The Department of Health (DOH) and the government’s coronavirus task force are looking into proposals to allow fully vaccinated people not to wear face masks.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a news briefing on Friday, May 28, that health authorities and experts will see if this can be done in “specific bubbles” in the country.

Vergeire made the statement when asked about the recommendation of Octa Research fellow Father Nicanor Austriaco for the government to ease health protocols, including allowing fully vaccinated individuals not to wear face masks, as more people get jabs in the country.

“Ang ginagawa po natin ngayon ay nag-aaral na po tayo ng sinasabing recommendation na ito para makita natin if we can apply this in specific bubbles. Pag-aaralan po ito ng ating mga eksperto together with the IATF at magbibigay po tayo ng information,” Vergeire said on Friday, May 28.

(What we’re doing is we are studying this recommendation to see if we can apply this in specific bubbles. Our experts, together with the Inter-Agency Task Force will study this and we will provide the information.)

Vergeire said that the vaccines “will protect us if it is coupled with the other responses that we have, like following the minimum health protocols” which includes wearing face masks.

“Halimbawa po, if magtatanggal tayo ng mga mask dito sa mga nabakunahan sa NCR for example, kailangan nating tingnan ano na ba ang estado ng mga kaso sa NCR. Our healthcare utilization rate po ba ay nakakaluwag-luwag na tayo?” she asked.

(For example, if we allow those who have been vaccinated in the National Capital Region, for example, to remove their face masks, we have to consider the status of the cases in NCR. Has our healthcare utilization rate improved?)

“Kailangan po natin maintindihan na bagamat marami na sa atin ang naka-two doses, na naka-one million na tayo, pero kapag tiningnan po natin ito versus the complete population of the Philippines, malayo pa ho tayo,” she added. 

(We have to understand that while many have received two doses [of the vaccine], that one million have received both doses, if we consider this against the complete population of the Philippines, we still have a long way to go.)

The Philippines has a population of around 110 million people.

Difficult to compare PH to US

Vergeire said it’s difficult to compare the Philippines to the United States, where fully vaccinated people have been allowed to shed their face masks in public, as the US has vaccinated a large portion of its population.

Our World in Data showed that the 40.2% of the US population had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Parang mahirap na magkumpara po tayo sa ibang bansa sa estado natin ngayon kung sa US ay nagkaroon na sila na polisiya na puwede na silang hindi mag mask kapag nasa labas. Tayo po dito ay hindi pa ‘yan natin makonsidera kasi ‘ayun po ‘yung rate ng vaccination natin ay di katulad sa US. Pagaaralan po ‘yan and other factors, not just vaccination,” she said.

(It’s rather difficult to compare our situation with other countries like the US, where fully vaccinated people are allowed nto to wear masks outdoors. We can’t consider that yet because our vaccination rate is not the same as the US. We will study that and other factors, not just vaccination.)

In its updated guidelines, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a face mask or stay six feet away from others in most settings, either indoor or outdoor. The move is hoped to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated.

The CDC said that the new guidelines were based based on a sharp reduction in cases, expansion of vaccines to younger people, and vaccine efficacy against coronavirus variants.

The DOH earlier rejected the proposal for the country to have “vaccine pass” that would supposedly allow vaccinated individuals to have “unlimited” access to business establishments, such as dining and other leisure activities.

Aside from the global shortage on vaccine supplies, many Filipinos are still hesitant against getting vaccinated, especially outside Metro Manila. A Social Weather Stations survey held from April 28 to May 2 showed that the percentage of those willing to be vaccinated is highest in Metro Manila and lowest in the rest of Luzon.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday suggested that the government should “use all legal – and creative º means possible to have every Filipino vaccinated.”

“A chance at winning in the lottery and other creative incentives to attract more Filipinos to get themselves vaccinated – these are good moves by the government, both national and local, and even the private sector, to attain herd immunity at the soonest possible time,” he said in a statement.

The Philippines, which is suffering one of the worst outbreaks in Southeast Asia, has been criticized for its slow vaccination pace. As of Tuesday, May 25, only 1,029,061 of its 110-million population have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. – With reports from Reuters/Rappler.com