WE still do not have an Omicron case in Baguio or the Philippines, for that matter. At least not officially.
You know how laxed things are in this country. And oh so slow in reacting when the variant reaches us.
The UK and US were also Omicron-free a few weeks ago and look where they are now.
Should this spoil our Christmas?
Mayor Benjie Magalong said it’s only a matter of time. And yet he has virtually opened our doors and the tourists have already graciously come in. From 2,000, we are now allowing 3,000 every weekend. Again, officially. There might be more coming up as there were hardly any checkpoints now.
Baguio has started to be cool. We are now reaching 12 degrees Celsius. But should we also stay cool, for the moment anyway?
The spread of the Omicron variant is worth watching, but it does not yet signal a need for drastic measures such as shutting down schools or businesses or holing up inside. Yes, it’s troubling that the Omicron variant’s many mutations on the spike protein, the part of the virus that infects cells, may allow it to get past our current vaccines and lead to more infections. It is also that it might be more resistant to treatment with monoclonal antibodies.
But at this point, we just don’t know enough to make us either relax or panic.
Not all the early indications of this mutant’s behavior are frightening. There’s anecdotal information that infections with Omicron might be no more deadly than Delta and earlier strains, though the number of confirmed cases are too small and confined to a limited population for assurance on that.
Hospitals in South Africa, where the variant was first identified, are reporting a big increase in COVID-19 patients, but they have not been overwhelmed. Some reports say that those hospitalized were mostly unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
We’re also in better shape to fight this shapeshifter coronavirus. It’s been a wearying roller-coaster ride since March 2020 — and let’s not forget that the Delta variant is still burdening the medical system in many corners of the nation — but we now know more about how the virus operates and how to minimize risk. Masks still help, without cramping our ability to get through the day. So does avoiding crowded indoor spaces. And of course, getting vaccinated is the most effective thing we can do to avoid serious illness.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that vaccinated people in South Africa were more likely to have mild cases than the unvaccinated. US President Biden announced Thursday that public health experts believe that even if there are more breakthrough infections, the current vaccines will still help prevent hospitalization and death. Vaccine makers have said they can tailor upcoming vaccines to ward off Omicron more effectively if needed.
Our immunization system in Baguio is commendable. Only 6,000 remain unvaccinated, our health officials said.
The best that we can do is track down these 6,000 and persuade them to take the vaccine. If they do not want to, then we can at least track them.
Mayor Magalong, after all, is the contact tracing czar of the country.
