ZAMBOANGA CITY’s Covid-19 cases continue to decline with health authorities noting lesser infections by the day.
The number of active Covid-19 cases is expected to fall further to single digit as the local government continues its mass vaccination campaign in an effort to inoculate all eligible residents.
But Mayor Beng Climaco reminded residents not to be complacent and always follow the public health protocols – the wearing of face masks in crowded places and frequent washing of hands with soap and water, or sanitizers.
“We are doing everything we can to defeat the Covid-19 as we carefully open up our city to the new normal. Don’t be complacent as the virus continues to mutate,” she told the Zamboanga Post by phone when asked about the local government’s effort in the fight against the deadly respiratory disease which had killed over 1,200 people here since the pandemic began two years ago.
Climaco said the Covid-19 is still considered a pandemic and residents must do everything to protect themselves from the virus as there have been numerous reports of reinfection among those who recovered from the disease, especially people with comorbidities.
Doctor Mike Ryan, of the World Health Organization, also said controlling the pandemic requires strong control programs to reduce the infections, the suffering and deaths.
“I think we need to be careful here in terms of the word endemic. Yes, endemic means in a sense that the virus is present and transmitting at lower levels. Usually, with the form of seasonal, transmission or increases that are seasonal or outbreaks on top of an endemic situation. That's very classic for many infectious diseases. Remember, endemic HIV and endemic tuberculosis and endemic malaria, kill millions of people on this planet,” Ryan said.
“So just changing from pandemic to endemic is just
changing the label. That doesn't change the challenge we face. We need
sustained control on this virus. We need sustained protection of our most
vulnerable. We need strong Health Systems to deal with those infections we can
prevent and we need to be able to continue to do that with the levels of
infection we experience,” he added. (Zamboanga Post)
