New Covid-19 Concerns?
Editorial

New Covid-19 Concerns?

Jan 3, 2023, 1:19 AM
OpinYon Editorial

OpinYon Editorial

Writer

Even as life has returned to normal for us here in the Philippines after two years of lockdowns and restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still signs and symptoms that the coronavirus will not be going away in 2023.

For one, experts are now getting wary over the unfavorable development in China’s situation with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision of the Chinese government to ditch away its “Zero Covid” policy has, undoubtedly, exposed the glaring weaknesses in the country’s programs to fight the pandemic.

With most restrictions loosened, China is experiencing only now what most other countries, including the Philippines, has weathered over the past two years: a rapid spike in Covid-19 cases.

And with this, inevitably, came shortages in basic goods such as medicines, hospitals being overrun with Covid-19 patients – all those nightmares that we have long endured in the course of this global pandemic.

Added to this the Chinese government’s continued secrecy and reticence to reveal the country’s real situation, with some believing that the country’s Covid-19 situation may be much worse than what authorities would like to admit.

Here in the Philippines, authorities are reassuring the public that despite the current situation in China, as well as the emergence of even more transmissible Covid-19 strains, the country's Covid-19 situation is still “manageable.”

Let’s face it. Here in the Philippines – and in Laguna province in particular – Covid-19 has become more of a distant nightmare than a dreaded reality. Even the most basic of health protocols such as wearing face masks are now being disregarded.

As of December 25, Laguna has posted just over 40 Covid-19 cases, the third highest in the country, compared with the more than 1,000 cases that were reported earlier this year.

With 73 million Filipinos now immunized against Covid-19 and 21 million having received their booster shots, health experts are confident that we can weather whatever 2023 may bring.

Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry and continue to abide by the basic health protocols to ensure that China’s troubled situation will not be repeated here.


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