A nation that is made resilient by means of vaccination and adherence to health protocols may immediately be able to bounce back to normalcy even amid the threat of Covid-19 and its subvariants, a health expert said on Saturday, June 4.
Health reform advocate and former special adviser of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon said that getting vaccinated and boosted, as well as adherence to minimum public health standards remain the gold standard in protecting oneself against Covid-19.
“Ang Omicron kasi, as opposed to other variants in the past, mild ang symptoms that can be managed at home at hindi ka mao-ospital. Kaya ang ating mga cases ay mild kasi nakadalawa na tayong bakuna at ang iba sa atin ay nakapag booster na (Omicron’s symptoms, as opposed to other variants in the past, are mild and it can be managed at home without having the need to be hospitalized. That is why our cases are mild because we have already had two vaccines and the rest of us have had boosters),” said Leachon in an interview over DZRH.
With these developments, the health expert underscored that the Covid-19 health care utilization rate in hospitals across the country remained less than 20 percent while the number of new Covid-19 cases nationwide remained low at less than 500.
“Ang ibig kong sabihin kahit na anong variant ang dumating, as long as the population is ready by increasing their layer of protection through booster, at kung tayo ay nagfe-facemask, then we can face anything (What I mean is that no matter what variant comes, as long as the population is ready by increasing their level of protection through booster, and if we are using face masks, then we can face anything),” he added.
Leachon, however, clarified that getting boosted against the disease does not guarantee that an individual will not experience a breakthrough infection, reiterating that a booster jab protects the people against hospitalization and severe Covid-19.
Low number of booster jabs in PH
The Department of Health’s (DOH) National Covid-19 Vaccination Dashboard showed that as of Friday, June 3, a total of 70,992,108 Filipinos have completed their primary vaccine dose. Of this number, only 14,268,951 individuals have so far been boosted against the disease.
The low booster rate, according to Leachon, may be attributed to the belief that two vaccine doses are sufficient. Filipinos may also have “lost their interest” in getting boosted because of the low number of newly-recorded infections in the country.
The expert then emphasized that a booster shot is necessary as it increases the level of protection provided by the primary jabs that may decrease over time.
“Ang personal opinion ko ay we will be forever on a public health emergency alert system kung hindi natin ihahanda ang sarili natin. If we are boosted and we are ready, we can face any variant (My personal opinion is that we will forever be on a public health emergency alert system if we do not prepare ourselves. If we are boosted and we are ready, we can face any variant),” Leachon added.