Zambo Covid cases going down

THE NUMBER of active Covid-19 cases in Zamboanga City is now steadily decreasing and is expected to further go down to under 1,000 as more people are recovering from the deadly respiratory disease.

The spike in the Covid-19 cases is largely blamed on the more contagious Omicron variant which is now the dominant variant in the country after the Delta variant.

Mayor Beng Climaco, head of the local Covid-19 inter-agency task force, urged residents to strictly observe the public health protocols and get vaccinated as the City Health Office continues to put up walk-ins and drive-through vaccination sites in different areas.

“We should not be complacent here. The spike in Covid-19 cases were largely due to complacency by residents and further aggravated by the Omicron (variant). Residents should always wear their face masks and observe physical distance in public areas or places where people converge. Always wash or sanitize hands and avoid holding the face and mouth with dirty hands,” Climaco said.

The Department of Health also appealed to the public to follow health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus in the community, especially in homes, offices and enclosed places.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Covid-19 can easily spread through the air, noting that proper ventilation can be achieved by always keeping windows or doors open for fresh air to flow or putting an electric fan in front of a window for good air circulation. “Kinakailangan nating sumunod sa minimum public health standards gaya ng pagsusuot ng face masks at physical distancing - hindi lamang ng ating mga sarili kundi pati ng mga taong nakapaligid sa atin,” she said.

Vergeire also noted the importance of vaccines as protection from Covid-19. “Hinihikayat ang lahat na upang maging protektado, tayo ay maging bakunado. Magparehistro at agarang tumungo sa ating mga vaccination sites at makipag-ugnayan na sa ating mga LGUs para makapagpabakuna laban sa Covid-19,” she said.

Both Climaco and Vergeire also urged parents to have their children aged 5-11 vaccinated against Covid-19, saying children are also susceptible to the virus and it is imperative that younger populations have access to the safe and effective vaccines. (Zamboanga Post)