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Friday, March 29, 2024

Panic is the last thing we need

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“Let’s do the wise thing.”

 

Not quite a few of us would like to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic will soon be over as we hear  news reports about a lower rate of increase in cases of viral infection over several weeks.

And then suddenly, we realize we were just fooling ourselves thinking that way as we hear the latest news about the emergence of another SARS CoV-2 variant called Omicron.

Much to our disgust, Omicron might dash our hopes for a return to normal activities of daily life especially during the Christmas season as experts say the new variant is supposedly “more contagious and infectious.”

Worse, the Presidential Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases might be in a panic mood again, immediately cancelling inbound international flights from 14 countries.

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The IATF has also decided to suspend the scheduled reopening of the country’s borders to international tourism, allowing only the entry of returning Filipino citizens.

The task force also reinstituted the 14-day facility-based quarantine protocol for Filipino travelers originating from the red-listed countries with reported cases of Omicron.

The variant believed to have originated in South Africa was found in about 100 Covid cases in 23 other countries, including one in San Francisco, USA and another in Canada.

But, contrary to experts’ claim that Omicron is more deadly than the more dominant variant Delta, most Omicron cases reportedly show mild symptoms.

Not one patient has reportedly died of Omicron complications so far.

Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the DOH say it will take time to learn about the new variant’s transmission behavior, the severity of disease it causes and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines against it.

How much of a threat Omicron actually presents is yet to be known. It may not live up to the hype it’s getting, after all.

I am not saying it is okay to be complacent in the face of a possible threat to public health, not at all.

But, a greater threat to us is the propensity to panic, starting from the authorities.

We can no longer afford the damage that panicking caused during the Luzon lockdown last year when everyone was grounded at home and deprived of livelihood.

Curfew and suspension of classes were supposed be the first steps, and then massive testing which the DOH was incapable of doing.

I am echoing the call of the WHO on all countries to avoid “over reaction” to Omicron.

The use of blanket travel bans will not prevent the transmission of Omicron but will cause “heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Huwag naman po tayong maging OA.

The best thing to do is be prepared in terms of healthcare services at both public and private hospitals.

The Alert System and granular lockdown approach proved to be effective so far compared to the previous community quarantine system.

More importantly, we all should support the vaccine rollout being pushed by the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 headed by Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez in partnership with the local government units (LGUs).

The three-day Bayanihan Bakunahan this week may have reached its target number of vaccination of nine million Filipinos as a number of LGUs volunteered to extend the immunization drive until today.

That shows the genuine bayanihan spirit!

The inoculation drive brings to more than 55 million the number of Filipinos who have received their first dose while nearly 37 million have been fully vaccinated, over 500,000 already have gotten their booster shot.

These figures somehow contribute to the slowdown in the rise of COVID incidence.

We all have a responsibility fighting this Omicron — or whatever variant might emerge.

Besides getting fully immunized against COVID-19, it is imperative we strictly observe the minimum health and safety standards, including handwashing, wearing of face masks and social distancing.

We cannot expect COVID-19 and its variants to just go away.  We will just have to do our part for it to drive it away.

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