People pass by a COVID-19 pandemic-themed mural along Pedro Gil, Manila on May 10, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — It was only five years ago when the entire world was brought to its knees by COVID-19, a then novel virus of very vague, if not unknown, origin which affected the human respiratory system.

While the virus, which claimed over seven million lives, has since become manageable through aggressive vaccination and information dissemination, it is once again seeing an uptick in infections across several Asian countries.

Strict lockdowns and mask mandates are a thing of the past. Nevertheless, the public is still cautioned and advised to practice minimum public health standards to minimize the possibility of contracting the virus.

However, while COVID-19 is no longer seen as a serious health threat, experts have repeatedly said that a pandemic of this scale will definitely not be the last.

Because of this, member states of the World Health Organization has adopted a Pandemic Agreement which would improve the world’s readiness to respond to future pandemics.

READ: WHO adopts landmark pandemic agreement

Speaking to ABS-CBN News, Department of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa says among the salient points of the accord is to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines.

“Yung mga mayaman na bansa bumili ng six to seven times more ng kailangan nila. So yung mga mahihirap na bansa, ngawa. Hindi na pumapayag yung ibang bansa sa ganon. Kelangan mag-allocate ng 10% ng mga ipo-produce na mga bagong bakuna para sa mga mahihirap na bansa,” he said.

(At that time, rich countries bought vaccines six to seven times more than what they needed. So the lower-income countries didn’t get any. Countries will no longer allow that. Now, around 10% of vaccines that will be produced will need to be allocated for lower-income countries.)

The Philippines was among the countries which saw delays in COVID-19 vaccination which only started in the second quarter of 2021.

Herbosa, who also sits as president of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, says they are also working on the Pathogen Access and Benefit System which allows different countries to share information about different kinds of pathogens for research and development.

“Yung madedevelop na gamot, treatment, diagnostic or bakuna ay pwede ring i-share. Yung yung tinatawag na Pathogen Access Benefit Sharing.”

(The different medicines, treatements, diagnositcs and vaccines that will be developed can also be shared. That’s why we call it Pathogen Access Benefit Sharing.)

READ: Philippines, other nations adopt WHO pandemic agreement but what’s inside?

A PUBLIC HEALTH VICTORY

The World Health Organization (WHO) office at the Department Of Health (DOH) headquarters in Manila. February 12, 2020. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

The Pandemic Agreement, which took three years of negotiations, received 124 favorable votes, zero objections and 11 abstentions. The abstentions, according to Herbosa, were mostly due to legal process in some countries.

The World Health Organization called the agreement as a “victory for public health, science and multilateral action."

“It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats,” said its Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus.

This, despite the withdrawal of the United States, one of the WHO’s biggest financial contributors, from the health body by January 2026.

Herbosa explains that even if this were the case, countries now believe in the value of multilateralism.

“It doesn’t have to be one powerful nation dictating what should happen. Narealize ng mga bansa, tulungan tayo, pare-pareho ang problema natin. Kung may pandemiya, magshare tayo ng kung ano ang kailangan natin, diagnostic, gamot or healthworker.”

(Countries now realize that we have to help each other out. We all have the same problems. If a pandemic happens again, we have to share what we have, diagnostics, medicine and health workers.)

Ahead of the United State’s exit from the global health body, countries have so far pledged over $170 million. Other nations have also agreed to accept higher fees to cushion the expected loss of funding from the US.

Ghebreyesus says the funds will help “preserve and extend our life-saving work.”

PROTECTING HEALTH WORKERS, PRESERVING HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Aside from the sharing of vital information, the Pandemic Accord will also see the protection of health care workers, Herbosa said.

The Philippine delegation, he adds, hosted a side-event which called on different countries to strengthen their respective health work force in terms of education, training and benefits.

The health chief acknowledged the high demand for Filipino health workers overseas. He, therefore, sees the need for reciprocity when it comes to the recruitment of Filipino health workers.

“May mga ibang bansa na gumawa ng arrangement katulad ng Austria. For every nurse they take from us, they will offer a scholarship for a young Filipino. So napakaganda na.”

Germany, he adds, will also be giving grants and trainings for innovation.

A “south-south cooperation” is also in talks where the Philippines and Jamaica as well as other Pacific Island nations will explore the possibility of trainings to improve their respective healthcare systems.

Countries have one year to work out the details of the Pandemic Agreement. Following this, Herbosa says it can be ratified by the respective countries.

“Kikilatisin pa rin ito. So hindi totoong maapektuhan ang soberenidad ng Pilipinas kasi sinusunod pa rin ang ating legislature o yung pag pasa at pag ratify nito sa isang bansa.”

(It will still undergo scrutiny. So it will not affect the country’s sovereignty because our legislature will still be followed.)