Safer holidays

The Department of Health (DoH) recently confirmed that the Philippines is no longer Omicron-free. As this goes to press, at least three imported cases of the Omicron variant of concern were detected by the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center from the samples it sequenced recently.

This came at the same time as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Omicron is spreading at a rate that it has not seen with any previous variants.

The WHO added that while 89 countries have detected the Omicron variant, it believes that it is now probably present in most countries. Clearly, there is reason to take Omicron seriously, and not brush it aside as a mild variant.

At present, more than 43 million Filipinos have completed their vaccine doses, while close to a million people have received their booster dose. Our compliance to health and safety protocols and willingness to get fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are finally paying off.

With the continuous decrease in COVID-19 cases, community quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila and other parts of the country have recently been eased. Many families are excited to go to malls, dine in restaurants, get together, and go for a much-needed vacation during the holidays.

However, amid the ongoing pandemic, it is vital that everyone takes steps to minimize COVID-19 risks, and keep the people around us safe. An important step is to get fully vaccinated, stressed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Doing so will help protect young children who are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.  In the country, children below 12 years old are yet to be vaccinated.

Health standards require that everyone must avoid crowds and poorly ventilated places. Another general rule is to stay six feet apart from persons who do not live with you. Most especially for those in public indoor settings, it is necessary to wear well-fitting masks. The CDC, on the other hand, reminded that one should not put a mask on children younger than two years old.

If gathering with a small group of people from other households and potentially from different parts of the country, the CDC recommended additional precautions such as asking attendees to take a COVID-19 test before the planned get-together. Rapid antigen testing and showing proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for attendees of in-person events and meetings have been implemented by some government agencies and private companies.

Meanwhile, there are also restaurants that comply with government-mandated health and safety protocols. When dining out, alfresco is the way to go. Choose restaurants with open windows that maximize natural ventilation, and take the effort to improve airflow by installing additional fans or exhaust fans. For restaurants that play background music, the volume should be kept to a minimum to discourage talking loudly and reduce the risk of droplet transmission.

If dining indoors, make sure that the restaurant has table-top dividers made of acrylic or any similar transparent material to prevent droplet transmission in face-to-face seating arrangements. Chairs should be one meter apart on all sides. For al fresco dining with no table-top dividers, alternate/diagonal seating arrangement can be implemented.

The DoH believes that COVID-19 cases nationwide will continue to decline if community quarantine restrictions are strictly implemented and the general public complies with health protocols.

“It is very important that while our mobility increases, we should continue to strictly adhere to our minimum public health standards. We must also improve on the immediate detection of cases through early consultation, active case finding, and contact tracing and ensure that identified cases and close contact are immediately isolated or quarantined,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire.

While our yearning to reconnect with loved ones during the break is perfectly normal, it is still important to act responsibly and safely. We must not risk squandering our gains and instead continue to build on the progress we have made in our fight against COVID-19 in the light of continued transmissions due to the various variants.

TEODORO B. PADILLA is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), which represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are at the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.