IT is reassuring to know the recent announcement of Dr. Guido David of the OCTA Research group that Metro Manila is winning the fight against the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. David said the reproduction rate of COVID-19 in the National Capital Region is now 0.63, the figure notched during the first week of August.
We note with enthusiasm that we are now at the tail-end of the Delta variant’s transmission in NCR, Calabarzon and Central Luzon. Authorities said the Delta variant is still there but all indicators show that we are winning in our efforts to eradicate this menace.
Dr. David said the risk of contracting the disease remains “because many of us are still unvaccinated.” The number of fully vaccinated Filipinos stands at 22.8 million as of this week, but this is still behind the government’s target of 80 to 90 percent of the country’s 110 million population.
‘The challenge now is how local government units, which are the final recipients of the packages of COVID-19 vaccines, will continue implementing the vaccination program among their constituents.’
It is also well to note that certain developments recently are shaping up to still improve the government’s campaign to maximize the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination among the people.
The Department of Health said the vaccination pace is expected to pick up as the government started vaccinating the general public yesterday. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the country now has ample supply of vaccines, and more Filipinos can be provided protection from the virus.
Also last Friday, a total of 2,793,240 doses of Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City, with vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. supervising the handling of the cargo.
This must be the reason behind Undersecretary Vergeire’s optimism, who added that the vaccine cluster has given the assurance that the nation will have enough doses to inoculate the adult population, not just the senior citizens and persons with comorbidities, but they will continue to enjoy the priority lanes afforded to them before.
The challenge now is how local government units, which are the final recipients of the packages of COVID-19 vaccines, will continue implementing the vaccination program among their constituents. The DOH said measures such as pre-registration to prevent crowding in vaccination sites are a must. Because of this, we hope to see more exponential improvements in our fight against the pandemic in the weeks ahead.
