Editorial

Silver linings

Alarmingly, the formidable and more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has entered the country, the Department of Health reported Thursday, July 15. Of the current 19 recorded cases, 11 contracted the virus locally while the rest are overseas workers. The government’s National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, however, assured on Friday, July 16, under the leadership of Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., that the country is prepared against the Delta variant. He said the government has scaled up both of its hospitalization and treatment capacity through the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate strategy. He added that consultations with local government officials in the Visayas, the Davao Region, and Northern Mindanao are conducted to check their COVID-19 situation.click above to read more.....

Amidst the growing number of COVID-19 cases, are the current strategies still effective? Perhaps the better question would be, are Filipinos ready for another surge?

For the record, the Philippines was placed under a 16-month indefinite lockdown already. When it comes to economy, according to Our World in Data, a trusted non-profit organization based in the United Kingdom, the country was placed at the bottom in the whole world. It also belongs to the list of countries with low vaccination rates of below 10 percent of the total population. As of June 18, 2021, the country logged a 5.4 vaccination rate, still far from the targeted 70 percent to attain herd immunity. Despite the seemingly negative statistics, the country slowly progresses towards bouncing back from the adverse effects of the pandemic.

One of the hopes that the country banks on is the increased number of Filipinos who are willing to get vaccinated. According to the recent survey of the Social Weather Station (SWS) conducted on June 23 to 26, around 45 percent of Filipinos are now willing to get inoculated. Though it did not reflect at least 50 percent of the total respondents, it was a huge leap from the initial 32 percent willing Filipinos recorded in May. Regionally, the SWS stated that “willingness to get vaccinated is highest in Metro Manila with 49 percent – an eight percentage point jump compared to last May.  It was followed by Luzon at 46 percent, Mindanao with 42 percent, and Visayas with 41 percent.”

Another progress the country has achieved is the increased number of vaccinated Filipinos. On Tuesday, July 13, the country has recorded its highest number of administered COVID-19 vaccines in a day with 375,059 doses, the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 reported. Health Secretary Francisco Duque also said in a pre-SONA press briefing the country has already administered a total of 14 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, including around 10 million administered doses of first jabs.

While the government continues to fortify its mechanisms in beating COVID-19, the aforementioned developments provide silver linings to those who continue to suffer amidst this health crisis. As the country moves forward towards collective healing, may everyone, regardless of social positions, continue to follow health protocols and get vaccinated. Indeed, silver linings remain as false hopes without actions.