The global spread of the Omicron variant is real, and it has already reached our shores. Though our number of daily Covid infections, be it Delta or Omicron, are way below the 100,000 plus daily upticks in other countries, we still need to be very conscious and cautious, lest we find ourselves in that predicament.
Unlike the rich countries, we are at a disadvantage because our health systems are not as robust, equipped and prepared. Key measures must then be taken by the government to protect the citizenry. On our part, we need to follow health protocols to protect ourselves and our families from the virus. This is not an easy task, especially for pandemic-weary citizens, an economy only barely about to rise again, and a government that has already channeled most of its resources to fighting Covid the past two years. But, indeed, we must continue fighting. We, as private citizens, need not depend or wait for the government to sound the alarm. And as we see ourselves in this New Year, let us take these conscious steps to ensure a better fighting chance against this more virulent Covid strain.
1. Let’s take this seriously. Let us admit it, we are all guilty of celebrating the holidays with our family members and friends, believing that we were nearing the end of the tunnel. But, unfortunately, it is not so. Setting aside the guilt, we need to go back to the protocols we have mastered and exercise them again. The much-publicized irresponsible superspreader incident by an uncaring individual in Poblacion, Makati may have earned the ire of many people, but in a way we all contributed to the environment of laxity, especially with the Christmas spirit that allowed some of us to drop their guard. Yes, prosecute those at fault—the persons and institutions involved, but let us all review where we are right now and take out whatever short-lived laxities we indulged in and begin once more to be zealous in this fight. We know the drill: Social distancing, use face mask, and wash our hands. We have no choice.
2. Test, test, test. One global Covid mitigation practice that we in the Philippines have to follow is mass testing for infections. Covid tests taken in other countries number in the hundreds of thousands to a million per day while here our total does not even reach 50,000 tests per day or less than 1 percent of total population. This is one reason why our numbers pale in comparison with that of other countries. Mandatory testing when needed must be done by the public as well as the private sector. Any group gathering, including political sorties, that we frequently see nowadays given that it is an election year, must require testing for all participants. Companies that require their employees to go back to their offices should at the very least require this. Malls and other commercial establishments, if they want to remain open, will need to do mass testing.
3. Vaccines work. Get vaccinated, regardless of what brand of Covid vaccine is available. This is not the time to be selective, and certainly not the time to delay getting vaccinated. And even with vaccinations, the same cautious preventive protocols must still be followed. For the members of our families who still are not eligible for vaccinations, let’s think of them before we venture out. Yes, we are vaccinated, but we also read about breakthrough infections suffered by people that had boosters. Vaccinated individuals will indeed have a level of protection, but they may still become carriers themselves.
For all of us who have survived the first waves of Covid, we may think that it would be illogical for us to commit the mistakes that will get us infected simply because now we know what to do to prevent it. In truth, however, mistakes happen in this time when we get too familiar with the environment, or we believe in a certain amount of luck or invincibility or are just too tired of this cloistered way of life. It is necessary to go back to those early times when Covid hit us and made us all paranoid. That extra amount of precaution will not hurt but will only do us good. We are thankful for a wonderful Christmas break, but let us do everything we can to make sure that we will still be around to celebrate another Christmas season.
Thomas “Tim” Orbos is currently a transport policy advisor for an international organization and worked in government on transport and urban development matters. He is an alumnus of Georgetown University and the MIT Sloan School of Management. He can be reached via e-mail—tmo45@georgetown.edu /thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu