Harsh realities we must change

By Joshua Corcuera

It’s no ordinary Friday afternoon; I write this article wondering when this pandemic will finally end. To be candid, it’s exhausting—very exhausting. There will be an uptick of COVID-19 cases, a strict lockdown would be imposed, cases would drop, restrictions are loosened, then there will be an uptick in cases again, and repeat. Paulit-ulit as we say in Filipino. And with this, we cannot help but think of how to change this harsh reality.

Of course, we have the never-ending health protocols. Wear your mask, observe physical distancing of at least 3 feet, stay at home if possible. Most of us complied with such protocols to protect ourselves and our family and friends from the contagious virus that already claimed more than 51,000 Filipinos since the pandemic started. Around the world, millions died from the public health crisis while unemployment and economic difficulties became serious concerns at the same time. Luckily for us, we now have vaccines that can boost our protection against the illness and, over the passage of time, society would gain herd immunity causing COVID-19 cases to be consistently low.

Yet, for whatever reason—most probably the new Omicron variant—we are struggling again. As I write this article as the sun sets over the horizon this Friday, more than 21,000 COVID-19 cases were reported earlier. Likewise, the positivity rate is at a record-high 40% indicating that 4 out of 10 tested individuals turned out positive of the virus. Last December 19, only 22 new cases were recorded on that day with a seven-day average of 141 cases on the same date. In just less than three weeks, we are near witnessing our cases peak once more. It is exhausting and worrisome, it is a long fight.

The Philippines is not alone in this long, dark night. On January 6, more than 2.5 million new cases were reported globally according to Our World in Data. The seven-day moving average is at 1.96 million, the highest peak on that graph. It is also the fourth peak on the graph made available by Our World in Data. The previous rise in cases can be attributed to the Delta variant, which we managed to surmount and defeat which is why we welcomed the holidays with much delight, rather than gloom. Looking at our capacity to triumph over Delta should give us optimism, despite being exhausted in where we are right now.

Moreover, the harsh situation of our public health should serve as a reminder for the masses to choose leaders who possess good character, competence, and compassion. These leaders can help us alleviate our suffering, as is the case in New Zealand whose female leader Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern helped prevent the virus from spreading in her country. As of writing, there are only 51 deaths in New Zealand with 58 COVID-19 cases on January 6. Its cases peaked in late November and are now going down. Notably, Ardern’s government has emphasized testing, tracing, and quickly treating its people. Likewise, they managed to fully vaccinate 76.1% of their population compared to 46.6% in the Philippines. We still have a long way to go and we need to keep moving forward.

In social media, some people claimed that vaccines do not work simply because of the recent surge in cases. Still, it is better to believe in the experts—our scientists, doctors, and health workers who emphasize the importance of vaccinations to quell the virus.

We still have to deal with the harsh realities brought by the long, dark night we find ourselves in. But no matter how long or how dark the night is, the sun would always rise once more.