State of Infections: The Uneven Trail

After millions of Filipinos endured the endless climax of the pandemic, the second half of the year has elapsed, seemingly as if the clouds have exhausted their heavy rains and the eye of the storm has finally passed — or has it? The beginning of 2022’s second quarter capitalized on the weakened numbers and built-in-defense from prior vaccinations and the challenging attempt to assure the constant success of turning the infected numbers into zilch, but this chapter is not over yet.

As the long-awaited endpoint becomes more apparent to the fixating eye, another course comes into focus, and balancing a tightrope is the only way to get through.

Under the spotlight of this quarter, a new intriguing plot has drawn in long queues of people as the 2022 Philippine General Election is held right in the middle of the second quarter, and an inauguration ceremony of the new administration closes the curtains for June. A cliffhanger leaves the audience yet to be satisfied as they anticipate finding out what will happen next, but for now, join and take a seat as we flash back in time to how this ending came to be.

Beyond the Lines

April 2

As of April 1, the Philippines claimed 67 million fully vaccinated people, as per the Department of Health (DOH).

At the Laging Handa briefing on Saturday, April 2, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje mentioned that in order to meet the government’s vaccination mandate, they distribute vaccines to government offices and private firms.

April 5

President Rodrigo Duterte opposed the possibility of dropping any region of the country to “Alert Level 0”.

Duterte stated in his weekly filmed public speech that he desired the overall number of cases to reach almost zero before agreeing to lift all restraints.

April 6

Duterte’s adviser argued that the corporate sector should ‘place more pressure’ on vaccination.

Given that 27 million shots are scheduled to expire in mid-2022, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said, the private sector will “place pressure” on raising vaccination rates.

Glimpse of Light

April 7

The country’s success in combating the virus sparked accusations that the President’s relationship with China and Russia was to credit.

Yet, in 2021, the Philippines had the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate among all ASEAN countries.

April 12

The Department of Health (DOH) expects a rise in COVID-19 cases if citizens disregard the basic health precautions over the Holy Week and at campaign rallies, particularly in regions with poor vaccination rates.

Rising from the Shadows

April 18

The total number of wholly vaccinated people in the country was 66,854,770.

April 22

In April, the Philippines began to distribute the COVID-19 2nd booster shot. On Monday, April 25, immunocompromised individuals aged 18 and up were the first to undergo the procedure.

April 30

The Philippines has shown a large difference between the number of citizens who have taken vaccinations (about 60%) and those who have confirmed readiness to receive vaccinations (approximately 87%).

Swift Motion

May 2

Maria Rosario Vergei, a Health Undersecretary, said on May 2 that the Philippines intended to give Myanmar 5 million doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, which was about to expire. It was the Philippines’ first donation to another nation after a recent battle to get vaccinations for its 110 million citizens.

May 10

As per Vergei, compared to the years before the emergence of the Omicron subvariant, the incidence rate of coronavirus disease in 2019 (Covid-19) is 37% lower.

Additionally, Vergei noted in an online media forum that COVID-19 cases were declining by 19%, from 196 average daily cases the previous week to 159 for May 3 to May 9.

May 16

New cases recorded nationwide has a total of 1,118.

May 18

The DOH announced that it would implement an expanded rollout of second boosters against COVID-19 to senior citizens and frontline health workers in hopes of strengthening the inoculation of the country against the virus.

May 23

New 1,214 COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide.

May 27

Filipinos and foreigners arriving from abroad who are fully vaccinated or with at least one booster shot are no longer required for a COVID-19 test to enter the country.

This announcement was made after the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) released Resolution No. 168, which provided the new pandemic-time rules for international arrivals.

A New Surge

May 31

The DOH announced that five new cases of the COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.2.12.1 were detected in the Philippines.

June 6

New 1,295 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been recorded.

June 7

Three more cases of the Omicron BA.5 variant have been detected in the country. 

The Commission on Audit (COA) quipped that frontliners could be saved during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic if the Board of Investments (BOI) distributed protective equipment donations.

June 11

The DOH has stood by its statement that the country is not yet ready to lift its mask mandate for outdoor settings. This was due to the Cebu executive ordinance making masks optional in open spaces.

Additionally, the health agency announced that Quezon City is still at low risk.

Rising Danger

June 13

New COVID-19 confirmed cases rose slightly higher than the past days’ average, with 1,682 new recorded.

June 15

The Philippines has detected cases of highly infectious Omicron subvariants. Six new cases of the BA.5 variant were detected in samples from Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. Moreover, 10 additional cases of the BA.2.12.1 variant were detected in the country.

June 16

Metro Manila and the majority of the country remained on Alert Level 1 status until June 30.

June 20

The DOH has reported 3,051 new COVID-19 confirmed cases.

June 21

DOH announced that children from 12 to 17 years old can now receive booster shots. However, before the booster launch, the guidelines for its implementation must be established first.

June 27

A spike of 53% in COVID-19 weekly cases was reported by the Department of Health. This record kept the increasing trend of COVID-19 cases in the country for the past weeks.

Based on the second quarter’s occurrences, this story creates an endless chapter of revamps, ease, and plot twists. It is difficult to predict when this journey will come to an end as recent surges have threatened to reach another climax. The Filipino population has, however, found it easier to live and adapt to the new way of life owing to considerable breakthroughs in immunization and preventative measures. The comparability of the characters’ experiences for the last two years and five months versus the shape of the present situation is of significant difference. Still, Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration almost pulled off their plan to use all of their steadfast determination to solve the main conflict before the end of their term. Several of us have learned lessons as we live through these repetitions of surviving the falls and encountering new challenges. Let’s look forward to the other half of this year as a new administration will take the lead in the following chapters as it is our responsibility as citizens to have a point of view and awareness as we are all relevant characters in this plot.

LAYOUT BY: Christian Aviv Cruz

PHOTO SOURCE(S): Aljazeera and the Japan Times