End of the line for COVID

From the chief of the World Health Organization himself comes a welcome pronouncement: the end is in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic. But WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has a caveat for his optimistic prognosis of the state of the pandemic: as the world sees “the end of the line,” he said, “now is the time to run harder.”

For over two years, the WHO has been cautious in its assessments of the pandemic, reminding the world only a few weeks ago that COVID-19 continues to kill. So Tedros’ latest pronouncement must be based on conservative assessments of global COVID transmission and other metrics.

His warning about the need to run harder toward the finish line must be taken to heart. What it means is that vaccination and booster uptakes must be sustained and even increased, and minimum safety protocols must still be observed as much as possible. Most health experts have expressed the same reminders, including epidemiologists in the Philippines where the government has eased mask mandates outdoors.

Despite President Marcos’ approval of optional masking outdoors, as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Department of Health as well as the Metropolitan.

Manila Development Authority are urging the public to keep their masks on. Provincial governors are also seeking clarity on what constitutes “non-crowded” and well-ventilated outdoor areas where masking can be optional.

DOH officials have said masking is “a small price to pay” for protecting oneself and loved ones from infection. They have also warned that the country’s “wall of immunity” is weakening as natural and vaccine immunity wane, with no significant increase in booster uptake.

As masking rules are eased, there are other health protocols that shouldn’t prove difficult to sustain, such as hand hygiene. Isolating oneself when there are symptoms of what could be COVID infection, such as cough, cold and fever, can protect vulnerable members of the household, among them the elderly and immune compromised. Epidemiologists stress that COVID continues to claim the lives of those with comorbidities and other vulnerable sectors, starting with those who are not fully vaccinated.

The world welcomes the end of the line for COVID, but safety precautions cannot be set aside. As the WHO has stressed, this is not the time to slow down, but to sprint

SEPTEMBER 2 ;    harder to reaScEh tEh eBfiEnRi1s6h line.