Preparing for Omicron

Even in the shadow of Omicron, there was no stopping Christmas in our country. Natuloy din ang Pasko.

And it was a relatively merry Christmas particularly for the business community. Presidential adviser on entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion estimates that up to 80 percent of pre-pandemic business returned in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Yuletide isn’t over; New Year’s and Three Kings are still ahead, opening doors for more consumption, gatherings, gift-giving and leisure activities.

Facing us on One News’ “The Chiefs” last Monday in the final week of a difficult year, Concepcion reiterated his message that the entry of Omicron is no reason to panic but a time to prepare.

Biologist / priest Fr. Nicanor Austriaco and UP Mathematics professor Guido David gave the same message on The Chiefs, even as their OCTA Research Group reported a continuing slight uptick in the spread of COVID-19, in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

The key, they all said, is continued compliance with health safety protocols, particularly masking, physical distancing, and prompt testing when we experience possible COVID symptoms.

*      *      *

Father Nic points out that unlike highly vaccinated countries that are now seeing a surge in Omicron cases such as the United Kingdom and US, countries such as Japan and Indonesia are not seeing the same surge despite detecting Omicron about a month ago.

The same absence of an Omicron-driven surge is being seen in the Philippines… so far.

What the three countries have in common that might explain this, Father Nic told us, is that we all suffered through deadly variant-driven surges this year, in our case twice – first last summer courtesy of Alpha and Beta, and the second beginning in August driven by Delta.

Father Nic says the combination of natural immunity arising from high cases of infection together with vaccination might have heightened Filipinos’ resistance to the coronavirus regardless of the variant.

Now boosters are being administered, further increasing resistance to infection.

*      *      *

Last Monday I got my booster shot, a week shy of six months since my second Sinovac dose. My local government sent me a text message advising me of my schedule, but at the vaccination site, they allowed my octogenarian mother and younger household members to walk in for their boosters. Their six months are also up in mid-January.

Although there was a waiting line, it was orderly and we were all done in about an hour. I watched as the guy drew the dose from a vial, asked him to pose for a photo with me before pushing the needle in, and then he showed me the empty syringe when it was over. Now I have two vaccination cards.

The booster was AstraZeneca, which the private sector led by Joey Concepcion is procuring for their employees’ booster or third dose next year.

Concepcion refuses to be rattled by Omicron, although he says the full resumption of in-person classes nationwide will have to wait until all school-age children are vaccinated.

The government is just starting the vaccination of ages 12 to 17, and has yet to procure the Pfizer jabs that can be used on ages 5 to 11. (China is vaccinating kids as young as 3 with its Sinovac and Sinopharm jabs.)

The night after getting my adenovirus vector booster I had flu-like body aches, but my body temperature was low. (I had no adverse reaction to my primary Sinovac shots). My mom’s left arm where she was jabbed ached, and our household members ran a fever and had a vomiting spell at past midnight. But by morning we were all fine again.

In about two weeks, according to Father Nic, we will get the full benefits from the booster.

That will be around the time, Guido David said, when we will have a clearer picture of whether Omicron is behaving in our country the way it is doing in Europe and the US.

Even if Omicron community transmission occurs, Concepcion stresses, the country cannot afford to return to lockdowns. Instead he reiterates that the country should start shifting from “pandemic to endemic” COVID state.

He cites the situation in South Africa, where there are indications that while Omicron is several times more transmissible than Delta, it is far less virulent.

Infectious disease experts are still waiting for solid data to establish this.

Father Nic explains that the spread of Omicron might call for a fourth dose, as Israel is currently considering, and periodic inoculation, like the flu.

Multiple shots are not unusual in vaccination, Father Nic stresses. He cites as an example vaccination against rabies, which calls for four doses within just two weeks for children bitten by an animal. For kids with weak immune systems, the regular schedule is five shots within 28 days.

Father Nic explains that because the COVID-19 threat is so new, with vaccines and treatments rapidly evolving, the medical community is just starting to clearly establish the best vaccination schedule.

In the meantime, people can continue enjoying Yuletide 2021, especially after getting their booster shots.

Natuloy ang Pasko, matutuloy din ang New Year.

*      *      *

BUILT TO LAST: Christmas, unfortunately, was joyless for those who lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods due to Super Typhoon Odette.

One positive development is that building for resilience is possible and is being done. Reacting to my previous article on typhoon-resistant structures, architect Felino Palafox Jr. informed me with pride that the Bed and Brew Hostel designed by his group in Siargao survived the fury of Super Typhoon Odette.

“Our architecture and structural design is higher than the (standards set under the) building / structural code,” he told me. “The owners and contractor followed our design and specifications… Bed and Brew is now being used as soup kitchen for survivors.”

Jun Palafox said the key to the typhoon resilience of roofs is the structural design of the roof framing system, with the specs to factor in wind gust velocity of 300 to 315 kilometers per hour – the building design used for Bed and Brew “plus 10 percent safety factor.”

For earthquake resilience, he says structures can be designed to withstand intensities of 7 to 9.

He says he has also championed underground utility lines in designing master-planned communities, since 1977 in Dubai, the Cebu Business Park in 1988, Rockwell Makati in 1992, and in “all our projects in 40 countries the past 32 years” including Camp John Hay, The Country Club, South Forbes, Hacienda Sta. Elena, Sta. Elena Golf and the newest building of the Asian Development Bank.