Low vaccine coverage, inadequate testing and hard lockdowns have hampered the country’s response
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte. Picture: File photo: REUTERS/ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA
President Rodrigo Duterte’s government is “not surprised” that the Philippines and other Southeast Asian states landed at the bottom of the list, as richer countries get more vaccines, spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement on Wednesday. The timing of Delta’s arrival in the Philippines also mattered for its score in September. Setting aside Singapore’s recent surge in infections, the Philippines was the last of the Southeast Asian economies ranked to start seeing its Delta wave ebb, reaching a peak in mid-September. In comparison, Indonesia and Malaysia — placed last in the ranking in July and August, respectively — hit their peaks in the corresponding month.
Even as one in every four tests turns out positive, tracing and testing remain slow in the Philippines, as local officials are in charge. Hospitals are understaffed and low on beds, forcing patients to queue. Though borders are closed to most foreigners, migrant workers can return, straining quarantine facilities.
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