AS of June 3, there were 6,452,761 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the world, 382,484 fatalities, and 3,067,697 patients that recovered. Despite these numbers, virology experts said much is still unknown about the new coronavirus that brought global economies to their knees. Belgian virologist Guido Vanham said Covid-19 resembles very much the SARS virus, which emerged in 2003. That also was an epidemic but it was limited to a few thousand people in several places in the world with the death rate of about 10 percent. He said Covid-19 also relates, but less closely, to another virus that emerged a few years later—the MERS virus, which was even more deadly because it killed one in three people who got infected.
But both of these epidemics disappeared following much less drastic measures than the ones being currently implemented globally to contain the pandemic. The Covid-19 is clearly more infectious and is mainly transmitted via aerosols (from people who cough or sneeze, etc.), but you can also get it by contact with objects that infected people, who are not necessarily sick, have touched. Asked if he can explain why Covid-19 is so infectious, Vanham said: “No. There is some understanding of why SARS, MERS and Covid-19 are related and why they produce heavy symptoms, but why this particular virus is much more infectious than other related viruses is something we still do not know. That is a matter of research.”
As the world has no choice but to live between fear and hope that a vaccine for Covid-19 will be developed sooner than expected, Philippine leaders must realize the need to have our own experts on viral outbreaks. We have to cultivate and nurture our own future virologists to deal with public health issues. To make that happen, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña is batting for the establishment of a virology institute in the country. “The [proposed] Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines [VIP] would be a premier research institute in virology and diseases in humans, animals, and plants,” he said in his social-media post.
De la Peña said studies would focus on viral ecology, clinical virology, vector transmission, pathogenesis, and pathophysiology, among others. The establishment of the VIP would also be for the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. He added: “It will conduct innovative scientific research on viral agents requiring high or maximum containment [biosafety level-2 to biosafety level-4] following the World Health Organization’s guidelines on the establishment of a virology laboratory in developing countries.”
As the proposed Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines would cater to researches on viral diseases and pathogens, de la Peña said he envisions partnerships with other scientists and virology centers in other countries.
We ask Congress to study this proposal, and act with dispatch if there’s a need to establish the proposed Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines.
Sun Tzu gives us a priceless quote on readiness: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.”
The proposed VIP may not make the country’s position against future virus threats unassailable. But if we have our own experts, the next time a viral outbreak threatens the Philippines, we will be ready with our own virologists and experts that can give solid advice to the government on how to control viral disease threats. The goal is to have local experts who know what needs to be done in order to stop epidemics or pandemics before they occur in the country.