A FRIEND said he has avoided Facebook during the last few days because he found the contents depressing. You read mostly obituaries and requests for prayers for healing, he moaned. It seemed that everybody has lost or is losing a loved one.
While not all recently-reported deaths or serious illnesses are coronavirus-related, there is no denying that compared to the two previous spikes in Covid-19 cases, the current one has seen more deaths, and it is frightening.
The figures reported in the dashboard of the Department of Health Region VII support this. The combined Covid-related deaths in the province and the three highly urbanized cities have not gone lower than 20 since the beginning of this month. From 21 on August 1, the numbers have been steadily rising, with 34 reported on August 8.
Most of the deaths occurred in the province, which is understandable since its population is bigger than those of the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue combined. At any rate, it’s Cebuano lives that we’re talking about, and if the trend remains unabated, we will be losing 5,000 of them to the disease by yearend.
We have to ramp up the vaccination in the island in order to avoid the grim scenario painted above. Quarantine alone will not work. The vaccine will. The IATF is reportedly meeting today to consider imposing stricter quarantine measures - that can only mean ECQ - in Cebu. Let’s hope that they will also discuss how to make sure we will have enough vaccines to put into the arms of 70 percent of the target population before the situation further worsens.
There are thousands of willing takers of the vaccine who are waiting for their turn. As I earlier pointed out in this space, if there is anything “good” coming out of this crisis, it is that it has convinced people who have otherwise been hesitant to be vaccinated, to make up their minds.
Let’s deal with the recalcitrant ones later when the willing ones shall have received at least one dose. That will give time to Congress to remove that obscure malware in the Vaccination Law that has tied the hands of employers from compelling their workers to submit to vaccination as a condition for continued employment.
I hope that it does not have come to that - more people losing their jobs because they obstinately refuse to cooperate to keep their workplace safe by having themselves vaccinated. Let’s exempt those who resist vaccination for health or sincere religious reasons. The rest, especially those who believe that one would turn into a zombie two years after his vaccination or that only the rich die from Covid, should be treated differently.
And as for those who claim that the vaccine is not a guarantee that you cannot be infected with the virus, think of the umbrella. When you seek shelter under one when it rains, you will still get wet but only in certain parts of your body. Without the umbrella, you will be soaked to the skin. It’s your choice.