‘If not mass testing, then what? Is the Duterte administration planning something new or drastic to counter this COVID resurgence? We cannot just sit tight and watch the whole nation being mowed down by this pandemic without a fight.’
THE World Health Organization (WHO) said that while initial data shows that the Omicron variant causes milder symptoms, it may still lead to death among immunocompromised patients and the elderly.
In the same vein, the WHO Director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said calling the Omicron variant “mild” might instill in many people the idea that this variant is not concerning.
“While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as ‘mild.’ Just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalizing people, and it is killing people.”
The worldwide surge in COVID-19 cases has been likened by the WHO chief to a tsunami, with the United States leading other countries in the exponential increase of cases.
In Asia and the Pacific, Japan’s tally soared almost 16 times since the start of the year, while the Philippines and Australia notched record highs. India, which is no stranger to counting hundreds of thousands of deaths from COVID-19, has already registered a seven-month high.
With a positivity rate of 50 percent, the Philippines reported a record 28,707 new cases on Sunday, Jan. 9, up from the previous day’s 26,458. There is no letup in the sudden day-to-day increase of this giant wave of infections, even as our own Department of Health, Inter-Agency Task Force, police, local governments and even the private sector are working day and night to contain the surge.
Lest the general population think that the government has abandoned them, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), speaking through Undersecretary Martin Diño, said it will push for free COVID-19 antigen testing for Filipinos. Vice President Leni Robredo is also backing this idea, noting that the more residents are tested, the better our chances of controlling the disease.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, said that the government will not adopt mass testing as a strategy, claiming that it is not rational and science-based, aside from the fact that the government does not have the funds to conduct such a huge program.
If not mass testing, then what? Is the Duterte administration planning something new or drastic to counter this COVID resurgence? We cannot just sit tight and watch the whole nation being mowed down by this pandemic without a fight.
