Experts advise general public: Get vaccinated, do not be agents of transmission

MANILA, Philippines — As positive cases and deaths skyrocket in the first week of the new year following the surge of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron, the general public is once again implored to adhere to pandemic protocols in order to stave off further spread.

In light of this, Philcare, together with PhilLife, Stitch Tech Solutions, Comm&Sense and Philstar.com, orgnanized and held Eye on Omicron, a webinar to raise more awareness and prevention. The livestream was held via Facebook last January 7.

The live virtual event was headlined by notable experts in the country, including Dr. Guido David, OCTA research fellow and professor at the Institute of Mathematics UP Diliman, Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, special adviser to the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, and Dr. Benjamin Co, chief of the Infectious Diseases Division of Pediatrics at UST Hospital.

During the webinar, the experts agreed that despite the majority of the cases being mild to moderate, hospitalizations remain nonetheless high.

Dr. David further emphasized that the Omicron surge, in particular, has eclipsed previous waves, cautioning the public that further increase in positivity rate would make us lose visibility of the pandemic, making it past our ability to assess our situation.

He also pointed out that while the Omicron wave in South Africa is thin because of an early peak, it is not certain that this will be the same for the Philippines.

“It’s possible we are close to peak if we are similar to the South Africa model, but it could also follow a different trajectory. It could peak this month or it could be next month—the latest could be the middle of February. There is much uncertainty with this surge,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Herbosa announced that over 100 countries now have the Omicron variant. He underscored the importance of social responsibility, saying “Let’s not be agents of transmission.”

In terms of government response, the NTF Against COVID-19 special medical adviser boasts that the country’s vaccination rate has successfully reached 65.63% of the target population or more than 40% of the country’s total population. He also notes the importance of the following among the general public:

• localized lockdowns
   
• restrictions in mobility
   
• self-isolation following symptoms and use of teleconsult services
   
• allowing “family quarantine”
   
• cancellation of the yearly Translacion

Dr. Herbosa encouraged the rest of the public to get vaccinated, citing that an uncontrolled surge could not only lead to more deaths, despite the Omicron being cited as “mild,” but also lead to an overwhelmed health care system.

“Listen to authority. Vaccination is not a bulletproof vest, but it will stop severe effects, particularly if you are immunocompromised. Go get vaccinated—it works, it’s safe, it’s beneficial,” he said.

For his part, Dr. Co shares that natural immunity does not last long. “Get vaccinated even if you’ve had COVID in the past,” he advised.

He also pointed out the importance of “responsible mobility” or making only essential considerations when planning to be out and about. The contraction/incubation period for Omicron is shorter compared to previous variants and the infectious disease expert cautioned, “In the biology of survival—increasing transmissions can only increase the chance of mutation.”  

In other words, as long as the virus has an opportunity to spread, especially among the unvaccinated, the more chance it has in evolving to different strains, one as insidious to the human body as the next.

As of this writing, the daily caseload stands at 33,169, according to the Department of Health, with 145 deaths. The latest genomic sequencing reveals that Omicron now accounts for 60% of the cases, displacing Delta as the dominant variant in the Philippines.