In case you’re considering going on an epic vacation abroad or are planning your birthday party, here’s something to burst your bubble: it looks like the COVID-19 virus won’t be going away anytime soon.
As per GMA News Online, the regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Western Pacific office made this statement in line with the highly contagious Delta variant currently wreaking havoc around the world.Â
Dr. Takeshi Kasai described the Delta variant as a “real threat which is testing the capacity of even the strongest public health systems in our regions.” “Even with all our best efforts, it now seems clear that, globally, the virus will not disappear. At least, not in the near future,” he said.
The WHO official highlighted that the best way to ‘live with the virus’ is through vaccination and other similar preventive efforts, including responding to upticks in cases with “targeted” measures.
On the local front, Kasai said the Philippines is “one of the countries in the region facing this surge” driven partially by the Delta variant. “We know lockdown alone cannot really reduce the transmission down and so it is very important to identify and know where the infections are occurring and suppress that,” he said.
At the same time, Kasai gave credit where credit is due by acknowledging government efforts to increase the country’s healthcare capacity and the high vaccination rates among health workers and the elderly.
“What is important is actually not just beds but to make sure there [are] doctors and nurses and also there is sufficient equipment and also support to those working very hard,” he said.
So yeah, you might want to rethink going hard on partying anytime soon. What’s important is that you do your best to keep yourself and others safe.
