Philippine poll brings fears over virus spread

In the shadow of still-high coronavirus infections in the Philippines, general elections loom as a possible super-spreader event with a three-month campaign season underway.

The season, which began on Tuesday, has seen the main contenders for the job of the Philippines' next president holding rallies and parades in their respective bailiwicks. The country's Commission on Elections has issued rules on campaign activities for the May 9 polls.

But health experts said that with huge crowds gathering during the rallies, and the COVID-19 vaccination rate at just over 50 percent, COVID-19 cases may surge once again during the campaign period.

This bodes ill for a country just recovering from a surge in infections last month. Gatherings during the Christmas and New Year holidays combined with the entry of the highly transmissible Omicron variant led to a spike in infections, with new daily cases hitting as high as 39,378 on Jan 10. The numbers have since declined, according to the Philippine Department of Health.

On Thursday, the Philippines lifted a nearly two-year ban on foreign travelers. Vaccinated visitors from 157 countries with visa-free arrangements will be welcomed back and will no longer be required to go into quarantine, according to The Associated Press. They must show a negative COVID-19 test result upon arrival.

Anthony Leachon, a health reform advocate, said political rallies conventionally involve mobility, and the movement of huge numbers of people in the middle of a pandemic can lead to a surge in infections.

Even bigger problem

Leachon, who once served as a senior adviser to the Philippines' COVID-19 task force, said this is an even bigger problem in rural areas where vaccination rates are lower than in the region around the capital Manila.

"So if the public healthcare system is weak, (and without enough) human resources (and health) facilities, then you won't be able to deploy the medical supplies, particularly vaccines, on time in affected areas. That's the problem," Leachon said.

He said that delivery of vaccines might also be slowed down by the fact that most local officials are busy campaigning.

Gene Nisperos, a board member of the Community Medicine Development Foundation in Manila, said a possible super-spreader event such as the campaign period would again expose the country's "poor pandemic response".

However, holding an election during the pandemic may yet prove to be a silver lining for the health sector, Nisperos said.

"Candidates are now including public health in their campaign platforms," he said, noting that in the past elections, most candidates relegate the health issue to holding medical missions or providing free medical consultations during the campaign periods.

The Philippines has recorded about 3.6 million infections as of Tuesday.

"It's not very easy to distribute vaccines in the country's over 7,000 islands," said Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, alluding to the logistical problems presented by archipelagoes like the Philippines.

Still, Bravo said the public and private sectors are "trying our best to really get out of this pandemic".

Bravo said she also hopes that the candidates and the voters will follow the rules to avoid a super-spreader event.