THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

We heard encouraging news from some of our medical experts manning the forefront in our battle against Covid-19. Last week, their pronouncements tend to indicate that the scourge appears to be over – at least for our country – and that the erstwhile pandemic is now about to enter the so-called “endemic” stage.
Last Sunday, the press quoted Dr. Maricar Limpin, past president of the Philippine College of Physicians, as saying that as far as the medical community is concerned, the pandemic in the country “has ended, because, on the ground, we are not seeing too many Covid-19 cases anymore.”
“The patients we are seeing right now are all non-Covid cases,” Dr. Limpin pointed out.
Dr. Limpin said that the local medical community is just waiting now for the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the disease as “endemic.” She said the international body must just be waiting for the results of their latest surveillance.
The latest figures from our Department of Health (DoH) appear to support Dr. Limpin’s perspective.
For example, last Saturday, the total number of new cases logged by the DoH stood at 207.
That was a far cry from the record all-time high of 39,004 registered by the country on Jan. 15 last year.
Despite that, last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) deleted Covid-19 from the list of the Top 10 causes of death in the country. It was number five on that list in 2021. It was at the 11th spot last year.
According to acting Health Secretary Dr. Rosario Vergeire, the exit of Covid-19 from the list was a “welcome development,” pointing out that the country is able to prevent further deaths due to the virus. She also noted that our hospitals are now seeing “fewer and less severe cases” of Covid-19 infections.
There are many “visual” indications that the pandemic may truly be at its tail-end or may actually “be over.” For example, transportation and human mobility appear to have returned to its pre-pandemic levels. Our thoroughfares are clogged during rush hours, our malls and restaurants are full, and people have resumed air travel.
Tourism has slowly gotten back on its feet and most of our schools have returned to the face-to-face mode.
We welcome the air of optimism regarding the prospective eventual official declaration of the end of the pandemic phase of this deadly scourge.
Now, a word of caution.
The global medical community has emphasized that the end of the pandemic does not mean the disappearance of the virus from the face of the earth.
The “endemic” phase means the virus will still be around. It can still be caught and passed on. Infections can still be fatal. The difference is that the circulation of the virus may be more contained. According to WHO, the circulation may be “seasonal” and there can be spikes in the number of cases during a year. WHO is optimistic that such outbreaks may be limited to certain localities or regions, similar to the current situation of Dengue in our country.
At the “endemic” stage, WHO believes “enough people will have protection due to vaccination and natural infection. This will result in significantly less transmission and, therefore, there will be fewer people being hospitalized or dying as a result of virus infection.
WHO further reminds us that the “endemic phase” does not mean that the virus will be “harmless.” “It will still have the potential to cause hospitalization and deaths,” WHO points out. It also warned that as the virus spreads, “it can mutate into an infection that may be more transmissible and more severe.”
What must the public do when we get to the “endemic phase?” We understand that the DOH, as early as last year, has already issued guidelines to our hospitals regarding the transition to the “endemic phase.” We will wait for similar guidelines to be given to local government units.
Meanwhile, the guiding principle for all of us continues to be “prudence.”
We must all continue to exercise reasonable caution. We must continue to exercise the good habits we developed during the height of the pandemic: constant handwashing and disinfecting, wearing of face masks when we suspect that a gathering or event could be an occasion for the spread of the virus, reasonable social distancing when the situation warrants it.
We also recommend that our countrymen complete the vaccination requirement and go for boosters.
Life will be normal soon. Let us keep in mind that it would be a “new normal.” The pandemic has taught us many valuable lessons about keeping healthy. Let’s apply the lessons. (For feedback, please email it to [[email protected]](mailto:[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. )