) – January 1, 2021 – 12:00am
CEBU, Philippines — Aside from the UK variant of the SARS-Cov-2, other variants of the virus are expected to emerge, stressing the need for Cebuanos and Filipinos in general to have a behavioral change amid the pandemic, said Department of Health-7 chief pathologist and COVID-19 spokesperson Dr. Mary Jean Loreche.
“I am pretty sure that there will be other variants that would come out in the SARS-Cov-2 in the coming days or week,” said Loreche.
According to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, it is normal for viruses to mutate.
The bad news is that the UK variant — named as such for being first detected in the United Kingdom — may be more transmissible. However, the good news is, preliminary studies show that the illness experienced by symptomatic patients is worse.
With that, what the Cebuanos and the rest of the country need to do is to be more aware and cautious, said Loreche.
“Our concern now as a nation, as Cebuanos and kita nganhi sa Central Visayas, kita gyud ang magmatngon,” she said.
Even if there will already be vaccines available here, experts’ precautions remain the same: wear masks, observe social or physical distancing, avoid close contact indoors, wash hands regularly, and avoid poorly ventilated areas.
“There have to be some behavioral changes, nga dili nato i-balewala si SARS-Cov-2/Coronavirus.
Kinahanglan naa kitang tanan pagpakabana. It is our shared responsibilities nga ato gyung i-implement ang minimum health standards,” stressed Loreche.
In line with this, Loreche said tourism in Lapu-Lapu City and the rest of the region can still push through, although some revisions in testing protocols and guidelines are being recommended.
“Slowly, we also have to open up our economy also, including travels. Maybe, there will be a push-back a little bit, until such time makita na nato unsa nay dagan gyud nato,” said Loreche.
She said that at the moment the most pressing issue is to prevent the entry of non-Filipino travelers from countries with known presence of the new variant or variants of coronavirus.
Under the present guidelines, travelers, except overseas Filipino workers, coming from or transiting through the following countries are prohibited entry to the country until January 15: UK, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, and Spain.
The DOH is also closely coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Health Regulations’ focal point in the USA on the reported SARS-Cov-2 variant.
“These are delicate balances, but I believe this is just a little bit of a setback and we can do something about it,” Loreche said.
As of December 30, Cebu City has a total of 108 active cases, including 12 new ones.
Lapu-Lapu City, on the other hand, has 36 active cases with the addition of six new cases. Mandaue has 15, including a new one.
Bohol has 27 active cases, Cebu province has 73, Negros Oriental has 357, while Siquijor has six. — KQD (FREEMAN)