MANDALUYONG CITY -- Prevent the recent increase in COVID-19 infections and the transmission of the Omicron variant from causing another wave of infections, Philippine Red Cross Chairman & CEO Sen. Richard Gordon warned authorities and the general public alike on Thursday, December 30.
The Philippines to date recorded the highest single-day tally of 1,623 new COVID-19 cases since November 21. The positivity rate or the percentage of people who tested positive for the virus against the total population tested soared to 6.6%, which indicates a high transmission rate according to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s standards, and is the country’s highest recorded figure since October 31.
“There is no room for complacency and inaction especially during the holiday season when more people are out and about,” Gordon said. “Let us make haste slowly. We need to provide jobs and opportunities for our people to start paying back our PHP 11.9 Trillion debt and recovering our economic standing, but we must do so without compromising public health and safety, especially amid the threat of the Omicron variant.”
Gordon cited WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ warning of a “tsunami of cases” caused by the “twin threat” of more transmissible Omicron and Delta variants, the latter being the most dominant variant in the Philippines.
Although the Department of Health has only detected 4 cases of the Omicron variant to date, it is currently wreaking havoc across the globe. The United States reported a record-breaking 7-day average of new COVID-19 cases at 258,312, while France tallied a new national and European record of 208,000 daily infections. Nearly 800 Omicron cases have been detected in India, raising fears of another wave of the pandemic.
“The Philippines cannot afford another surge of infections that will overwhelm our already burdened public health system. We need to prepare our healthcare workers and equip our facilities to isolate and treat the infected,” Gordon encouraged authorities. “We must ramp up community testing and the routine testing of our healthcare workers to detect, prevent and address possible community transmission.” (Philippine Red Cross)
