Of vaccine scams and family reunions
They need to set aside PR efforts and politics and work hard on the complex task at hand. They need everyone’s help as much as possible.
Pharma multinationals should be warned against blasting the Internet with overly optimistic and premature announcements in their COVID-19 vaccine research even before substantial results are achieved. Pharma Moderna (Johnson & Johnson) announced “final stages by July” of its COVID-19 vaccine research (technocruch.com). Its stock value suddenly surged, “hitting $29 billion, an astonishing feat for a company that currently sells zero products.”
The headline screamed, “Vaccine experts say Moderna didn’t produce data critical to assessing COVID-19 vaccine.” It was a media blitz with very little scientific data. “Numbers speak much louder than words. Critical information was withheld,” which are needed by vaccine experts to a make a scientific evaluation (statnews.com, 19 May 2020).
The stock value later plunged, hinting of profit-taking by promoters and insiders. Such huge windfalls are a form of, not only robbery, but also deceit and false expectations.
Moderna is the first to use human clinical tests, reportedly to be conducted on 30,000 people in partnership with the United States (US) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The effort is appreciated but the premature announcements using prestigious partners are not appreciated. Stock market officials should investigate the Moderna case. A huge milliondollar penalty is not enough, as they may have pocketed a lot more.
Family reunion triggers COVID-19 surge
Dr. Bonnie Henry of British Columbia issued a warning that family reunions could trigger COVID-19 surges. She said, “One of the most common ways (COVID-19) gets transmitted is the people we are closest to and spend time with.”
Dr. Henry cited a localized surge in the Fraser Health Region — “at least 15 recent cases were linked to a family gathering of around 30 people that took place both indoors and outdoors.” A casualty of 15 may look miniscule, but a 50 percent toll is important to consider. A backyard steak barbecue party can turn nasty. She added that this was now a global phenomenon and trend (globalnews.ca, 9 June 2020).
This is especially true for close-knit Filipino extended families scattered in the US-Canada areas with relatives in the Philippines. I was just talking to a close friend of the family, who is leaving for Chicago for a grand reunion for her 95-year-old mother. It will be attended by three generations coming from Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas and the Philippines. Such travel-oriented convergence is unpredictable.
When I told my friend the extreme dangers, the riots now developing in the States and the possibility of her family getting stranded forever there, she just pooh-poohed my caution and said, “Sorry, we already bought the tickets.”
LGU at center stage of COVID-19 control
There are two keys to flattening the Philippine corona curve. First, increase reliable testing capability, not just numbers and speed, but quality. Some of the quick and cheap testing systems are not reliable and may tend to worsen rather than help the situation, by releasing infected ones wrongly evaluated as being virus-free. An OFW (overseas Filipino worker) from NAIA-3 was tested positive when he arrived from Bacolod. So far, reliable ones include Dick Gordon’s Red Cross formula, and the UP (University of the Philippines) Diliman test kits.
Second, focus on efficient, comprehensive and quick contact tracing. The detailed protocol must be studied well and LGU (local government units) must be mandated to follow them strictly. Walang masyadong kanya-kanya (Avoid a to-each-his-own mindset). LGU having the data on contact tracing is not good enough. They have to know how to process quickly and efficiently. The national government can perhaps give support in terms of funds, personnel and equipment.
UP’s Institute of Mathematics predicts a doubling of confirmed positives from 24,000 as of 10 June 10 to 40,000 by end of June (Inquirer). This is almost a doubling in just three short weeks. We can reverse this grim scenario by improving test kits and contact tracing. We can flatten the curve by August to September with sheer will power.
The ball is with the LGU. They need to set aside PR efforts and politics and work hard on the complex task at hand. They need everyone’s help as much as possible. Let us support and guide them and stick to constructive criticisms they are humble enough to listen to, instead of nasty criticisms they reject defensively.
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The Daily Tribune welcomes Bernie Lopez to its roster of writers, providing keen observations on events affecting the country. A veteran journalist for more than 30 years, Lopez has had his articles published in a number of broadsheets. He is the author of Wings and Wanderlust, a philosophical discussion of his three-year 18,000-kilometer adventure, drifting and hitch-hiking through Europe and North Africa in the early 1980s.