Let's be Optimistic
Published Oct 31, 2021 12:12 am
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
Dr. Jun Ynares
We overheard the spokesperson of a private research organization make a bold prediction at an AM radio interview that the number of daily COVID 19 infections in the country could go down to as low as 2,000 by about the end of November this year.
We do not know the basis of the optimistic projection, but last Friday’s statistics was a good indication that the country could be headed that way. Two days ago, the number of new infections was 3,694. Just four days ago, the country marked the lowest number of infections in a five-month period: 3,218.
If the downward trend continues, the 2,000-mark may not be an impossible target after all.
There are other developments which fuel the positive outlook. Authorities say that as of Thursday of last week, some 52 million-plus doses of the anti-COVID 19 vaccines have already been administered. On the same day, the national government reported that the country has raised the inventory of vaccines to nearly 100 million doses.
Yes, vaccines appear to be in steady supply and vaccination centers in the national capital region and nearby areas are no longer crowded. Rizal province and Antipolo City, like some other cities in the metropolis, have already opened their doors to its vaccination centers to non-residents. Anyone who needs a jab can come to these centers even if they live in other areas. This means that a good percentage of the population has already received the required doses, leaving spare doses for people who live in other areas and who need the vaccine.
Early this year, we thought that we would be administering the vaccine to the general population sometime in the middle of 2022.
Local government units have done the job faster. In fact, the country is now ready to inoculate the youth sector. In addition, discussions about third doses and booster shots show that vaccine supplies are in abundance and that their arrival into the country has become more predictable and reliable.
These developments have spurred optimism in many sectors.
Education authorities are now actively talking about the resumption of face-to-face classes.
The country’s biggest collegiate sports league had also announced that they are planning the return of face-to-face competitions.
It looks like the relaxation of quarantine measures in the wake of the statistics we mentioned has stoked the sense of hope in many sectors.
Again, we should not let our guards down. It is possible that the downward trend in infections is the result of the strict quarantine measures that we implemented in the wake of the mid-year surge and which the national government relaxed at the start of this month.
Developments in other countries should also remind us that the pandemic is in no way over.
Our neighbor Singapore reported last Friday that it was experiencing “an unusual surge” in infections which hit the 3,000-plus per day average. Also last week, Russia has reportedly adopted “harsh measures” to curb record-high cases of infections and deaths. In the United Kingdom, while cases of infection had slowed down, talks of a new variant of the virus has been going around.
Also last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there has been a slight rise in the average infection rates worldwide over the past few weeks after a downward trend which lasted for a few months. New Zealand, Australia, and a number of European countries are experiencing higher numbers of daily infections. The same is true for another one of our neighbors, Brunei.
The good news is that a greater number of countries appear to be seeing fewer infections as the weeks pass by. We are in this category together with the US and several Asian countries including Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
So, we can keep our optimistic outlook. Things look like they are getting better, provided we do not let our guards down at this time that the quarantine restrictions have started to be relaxed.
If the downward trend in infections continues, more businesses can reopen, more people can return to their jobs and we just might see a faster growth of our economy.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) shares that bullish outlook.
The ADB has projected that our economy will grow by 4.5 percent this year, the third highest growth rate that a country might register in the ASEAN region. We are expected to register an economic growth of 5.5 percent next year, the average growth rate the country used to mark prior to the pandemic.
This means that we may have truly learned to adapt to the new normal, and that our collective ability to innovate and create new ways of doing business has paid off.
The future looks bright. Let us now dim the outlook by letting our guards down.
*For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.
Dr. Jun Ynares
We overheard the spokesperson of a private research organization make a bold prediction at an AM radio interview that the number of daily COVID 19 infections in the country could go down to as low as 2,000 by about the end of November this year.
We do not know the basis of the optimistic projection, but last Friday’s statistics was a good indication that the country could be headed that way. Two days ago, the number of new infections was 3,694. Just four days ago, the country marked the lowest number of infections in a five-month period: 3,218.
If the downward trend continues, the 2,000-mark may not be an impossible target after all.
There are other developments which fuel the positive outlook. Authorities say that as of Thursday of last week, some 52 million-plus doses of the anti-COVID 19 vaccines have already been administered. On the same day, the national government reported that the country has raised the inventory of vaccines to nearly 100 million doses.
Yes, vaccines appear to be in steady supply and vaccination centers in the national capital region and nearby areas are no longer crowded. Rizal province and Antipolo City, like some other cities in the metropolis, have already opened their doors to its vaccination centers to non-residents. Anyone who needs a jab can come to these centers even if they live in other areas. This means that a good percentage of the population has already received the required doses, leaving spare doses for people who live in other areas and who need the vaccine.
Early this year, we thought that we would be administering the vaccine to the general population sometime in the middle of 2022.
Local government units have done the job faster. In fact, the country is now ready to inoculate the youth sector. In addition, discussions about third doses and booster shots show that vaccine supplies are in abundance and that their arrival into the country has become more predictable and reliable.
These developments have spurred optimism in many sectors.
Education authorities are now actively talking about the resumption of face-to-face classes.
The country’s biggest collegiate sports league had also announced that they are planning the return of face-to-face competitions.
It looks like the relaxation of quarantine measures in the wake of the statistics we mentioned has stoked the sense of hope in many sectors.
Again, we should not let our guards down. It is possible that the downward trend in infections is the result of the strict quarantine measures that we implemented in the wake of the mid-year surge and which the national government relaxed at the start of this month.
Developments in other countries should also remind us that the pandemic is in no way over.
Our neighbor Singapore reported last Friday that it was experiencing “an unusual surge” in infections which hit the 3,000-plus per day average. Also last week, Russia has reportedly adopted “harsh measures” to curb record-high cases of infections and deaths. In the United Kingdom, while cases of infection had slowed down, talks of a new variant of the virus has been going around.
Also last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there has been a slight rise in the average infection rates worldwide over the past few weeks after a downward trend which lasted for a few months. New Zealand, Australia, and a number of European countries are experiencing higher numbers of daily infections. The same is true for another one of our neighbors, Brunei.
The good news is that a greater number of countries appear to be seeing fewer infections as the weeks pass by. We are in this category together with the US and several Asian countries including Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
So, we can keep our optimistic outlook. Things look like they are getting better, provided we do not let our guards down at this time that the quarantine restrictions have started to be relaxed.
If the downward trend in infections continues, more businesses can reopen, more people can return to their jobs and we just might see a faster growth of our economy.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) shares that bullish outlook.
The ADB has projected that our economy will grow by 4.5 percent this year, the third highest growth rate that a country might register in the ASEAN region. We are expected to register an economic growth of 5.5 percent next year, the average growth rate the country used to mark prior to the pandemic.
This means that we may have truly learned to adapt to the new normal, and that our collective ability to innovate and create new ways of doing business has paid off.
The future looks bright. Let us now dim the outlook by letting our guards down.
*For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.