Creation of different task force on new Covid-19 strain mulled

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte went back to Manila a day after Christmas to meet selected members of his Cabinet along with infectious disease experts. The emergency meeting, held in Malacañang Palace on December 26,2020, was convened to discuss the emerging fast-spreading new variant of Coronavirus (Covid-19) disease found in the United Kingdom. KING RODRIGUEZ/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday pitched for the creation of a new task force that will focus on the new strain of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) that was first detected in the United Kingdom (UK).

Duterte made the suggestion during his meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and infectious diseases experts held at Malacañan Palace in Manila.

“Pag-aralan natin. May nakatutok talaga diyan (Let’s assess the situation. Someone needs to monitor the situation). I would suggest that we create a panel whose job would be only to observe the different progression and the identification of the new strain,” he said.

Duterte said the new task force would be different from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

He directed the Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology to form a task force that is composed of medical experts.

“It should be medical persons na nakatutok lang talaga diyan sa bagong strain (who will monitor the new strain),” he said.

Treat as ‘deadly disease’

Infectious diseases experts told Duterte during the meeting that while the new strain of Covid-19 is more infectious, there is still no evidence that it is more virulent.

Still, Duterte said the new Covid-19 strain should be treated as a “deadly” disease.

“I think we should not be really complacent about it. We should treat them as deadly disease [that] will be entering the Philippines. Mahirap kasi (It’s difficult to be complacent),” he said.

Duterte also advised his Cabinet not to let their guard down to prevent the possible entry of the new variant of the SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes Covid-2019.

“Let’s do it this way: We will assume as if it will really happen. We will assume that the new strain will arrive in the Philippines,” he said.

Duterte has already approved the IATF-EID’s recommendation to ban flights from the UK from December 24 to 31 and extended it for another two weeks to avoid the possible entry of the new Covid-19 strain into the country.