Robredo cites 19 countries that suppressed COVID-19 without vaccine

Vice President Leni Robredo cited a study from The Lancet that identified 19 countries which successfully suppressed COVID-19 without a vaccine.

These countries managed to limit new infections to five or fewer per million population daily, including Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, China, Myanmar, Malaysia, New Zealand, Uganda, Togo, Pakistan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Uruguay, South Korea, Finland, Cuba, and Rwanda.

The Lancet highlighted that non-pharmaceutical interventions such as wearing masks, social distancing, banning mass gatherings, and protecting vulnerable populations are effective in suppressing COVID-19.

Robredo expressed confidence that the Philippines could also achieve suppression, stating, 'If 19 countries were able to do it, no reason why we can't.'

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque responded that the government is already implementing these measures and criticized Robredo's remarks as outdated, pointing out that the Philippines' case count would be much higher without these actions.