EDITORIAL - Beyond hoping

As in previous years, nine out of 10 Filipinos are greeting the New Year with hope. The 93 percent who said they are facing 2022 with hope rather than fear, however, is still lower than the 96 percent posted in December 2019, shortly before the start of the pandemic, as noted by pollster Social Weather Stations Inc.

The 93 percent was also described as a statistically insignificant increase from the 91 percent posted last year, when the world was facing the COVID pestilence with the first peer-reviewed vaccine just starting to be rolled out in one country.

As disclosed at the time by the secretary of foreign affairs, the government “dropped the ball” on the procurement of 10 million much-sought Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines for delivery in January, facilitated by the US State Department. The government instead waited another two months, rolling out the China-made Sinovac jab in March, just days before the Alpha and Beta variants began fueling a deadly summer surge.

This yearend is different from the previous one in that the country now has a steady supply of COVID vaccines coming in, enough to allow the start of inoculation for ages 12 to 17 and for third doses or booster shots. Minors and educators are looking ahead to a full resumption of in-person classes nationwide by January.

Further easing restrictions, however, may have to be dialed back as the Omicron threat is heightened. The highly transmissible variant is dampening rosy outlooks for the start of the year, especially amid reports that a young woman who recently returned from the United States where Omicron is raging, and who tested positive for COVID was allowed to leave hotel quarantine. Authorities are verifying reports that she then attended a party in Makati, where about a dozen other participants have since tested positive for the virus as well.

It is good to welcome a new year with hope, but it is better to support this with solid action so the hope can be sustained by genuine improvements. The year about to pass has been among the worst since World War II, for both lives and livelihoods.  The world must win the war against COVID, and victory is possible only through a united front and concerted action. Hope must be anchored on reality and serve to galvanize action for a better Philippines.