COVID-19: Could the Philippines see an India-style surge?

On Tuesday, May 4 at 19:30GMT:
The Philippines is in the throes of one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in Southeast Asia, topping one million total infections last week.

The country now has the second-highest number of infections and deaths in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and health experts are warning of a possible “India-style” wave.

Although the government has struggled to obtain vaccine supplies, vaccine hesitancy is proving a bigger challenge. According to a March survey by Pulse Asia, six out of 10 Filipinos expressed safety concerns and were therefore unwilling to get immunized. In an attempt to assuage those fears, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte last week received his first vaccine dose live on Facebook.

Rights group Amnesty International says what it calls the government’s inadequate response to the pandemic amounts to “a serious human rights issue.”

In this episode of The Stream, we talk to those on the frontline and ask them what is needed to address the surge and keep the healthcare system from crumbling.

In this episode of The Stream, we are joined by:
Emerlynne Gil, @EmerlynneGil
Deputy Regional Director, Amnesty International

Pauline Convocar
Emergency Health Physician

Jose Manuel G Romualdez, @philippinesusa
Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States of America