THERE was an important report from the Department of Health (DOH) Western Visayas over the weekend. This after two local cases had been detected positive of the Delta (B.1.167.2) variant of the Sars-Cov-2. This Delta variant, according to the DOH, has the capacity to increase the number of cases because it is highly contagious. When someone having the original variant could infect at least one to two other individuals, the Delta variant could spread rapidly and transmit to at least three to five individuals.
There are many pieces of literature that also present different results on the studies, but information shared somehow projects an image that would soon be related to India. And that’s correct, this is the variant discovered in India and behind the number of deaths that crematorium services could not anymore accommodate. The government of India had no choice but to allow the burning of cadavers outside the usual cremation process.
This Delta variant is already in many countries of the world, including the Philippines. Studies are ongoing, but the perceived possibility is on the increase in the number of infections once it reaches one country like the Philippines. This is the reason for the strong warning of the DOH about this variant of the coronavirus.
There are also reports that while this variant is highly transmissible, it could not ascertain yet if it is as deadly as the Alpha (B.1.1.7) or the variant first discovered in the United Kingdom.
In Western Visayas, it was reported by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) through city administrator, Em Ang, that two of the Delta variant cases are traced from the Capiz province. The confirmation, according to Ang, came from DOH-Western Visayas Regional Director Adriano Suba-an. The DOH also announced that this is local transmission of the Delta variant.
Vaccination is still the only option other than keeping ourselves inside our homes. Those that have not been vaccinated are still at risk from this highly transmissible variant.
While the government knew that the best way to fight Covid-19 is through the vaccination, government increased the efforts on the inoculation at the level of the local government units.
The problem is, while many agreed that they need to be vaccinated, many are also hesitant due to some reasons. Maybe one of them is the misinformation on the vaccine through social media and other channels at the barangay level. Thus, even before we recommended that government should continue to educate the people in as many channels of information that could actually reach them.
Even with the news about the Delta variant, there is urgency that our government should explain these things in simple words to our people at the grassroots. When fake news would be ahead of government interventions, then it will simply end up with many of our people becoming infected with this Delta variant.
Studies and things-to-do should be communicated that ordinary individuals could understand including the vaccines and the vaccination process.
Simply we cannot underestimate the strength of the new variant and the possibility that many will be infected. Our authorities cannot likewise wait for those cases of hospitalizations and deaths would increase and say that this is it. I hope we will not experience the worst that happened in India due to the Delta variant.