From COVID-19: City on road to liberation

By Caecent No-ot Magsumbol
^{Reprint from The Freeman}

CEBU CITY (Feb. 10, 2022) — Cebu City is now on the road to liberation from COVID-19, some medical officials say, but the end to the pandemic lies on each resident’s behavior and how the city focuses in reaching this goal.

“When we are on the road, we always have a destination… and our destination is the end of this pandemic. So, I agree, we are already on the road to liberation. ‘To’ pa lang… because the pandemic is not over,” said Dr. Minnie Monteclaro, president of the Cebu Medical Society, during the pilot session of “Panaghisgot,” the city government’s interactive session with the media on Wednesday.

Monteclaro said COVID-19 has its twists and turns, just like the emergence of new variants of the virus, but if the city remains focused, it is expected to reach liberation soon.

“That will be determined by our behavior… each one of us is the solution to the end of this pandemic,” she said. She made it clear that only the World Health Organization can say that the pandemic has ended.

“We wait for the World Health Organization to lift it… basi’g maglibog mo… it’s called pandemic because it is still in all parts of the world. Until ma-downgrade siya sa WHO to a certain locality, then we are still in the pandemic,” she said.

Vaccination

Mayor Michael Rama has long been saying that vaccination is the key to liberation from COVID-19 and with almost 800,000 individuals vaccinated, the city is on track, said City Health Department Officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones.

The city has an estimated 834,734 residents eligible for the COVID vaccine. Based on data from the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center, it has already fully inoculated 618,033 (74 percent) of eligible residents above 18 years old.

“Daghan na kaayo atong nabakunahan, almost 800,000 na… Hopefully, this year, ma-liberate na gyud ta aning COVID,” Ibones said.

This is the reason why the city continued with its vaccination drive even as it was picking up the pieces from the devastation caused by Typhoon Odette in December.

Dr. Peter Mancao, consultant for health matters for Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros, said the city’s prevention and control measures are working.

“Hayag hayag na gyud,” Mancao said. He said it can be observed that while the Omicron variant is more transmissible, it generally has milder effects on vaccinated individuals. Mancao is also involved in the city’s vaccination rollout.

Aside from people getting vaccinated, doctors also already know what to do this time, compared to the first year of the pandemic when everyone was still grappling for answers.

Dr. Anne Monterroyo, pediatrician from the City Health Department’s Vaccination Operation Center, appealed to parents to believe in the vaccine, especially now that the country has started rolling out the jab for children between five to 11 years old.

“If parents embrace program… most likely, padung na gyud ta sa liberation,” Monterroyo said. Based on data, minors who have received the vaccine experienced only minimal reaction.

Living with COVID

Nearly two years since lockdowns were put in place in the Philippines, officials say Cebuanos should now learn how to live with the virus by vaccination and by being mindful of health protocols at all times.

“Dako atong pagsalig… ma-open na atong mga establishments tanan. This time, mupuyo na gyud ta sa COVID, we try to live with it… Lisod sige ta’g close, open; close, open. Ato gyud ning i-balance ang pag-manage sa COVID. Dili ta angay mukumpyansa. Dili ta mu-lower sa atong guards. Magmatngon ta,” Ibones said.

Monteclaro agreed. “As what Jeffrey said and Dr. Mancao has said nga we are two years into the pandemic… we have to learn to live with the virus… but as said, our goal, our destination is the end… the solution is each one of us,” she said.
Moderate Risk

Meanwhile, OCTA Research Group has reported that all three highly-urbanized cities in Cebu Island – Cebu City, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu – are now at moderate risk.

For growth rate in new cases, Cebu City’s rate -56 percent while Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue have -63 percent.

The three local government units’ Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR) of the seven-day average number of new cases per 100,000 people is still considered high, as well as its one-week average testing positivity rate.

For its ADAR, Cebu City has 16.53, Lapu-Lapu has 14.83, and Mandaue has 11.15. Their positivity rates are 18 percent, 17 percent, and 21 percent, respectively. Their reproduction numbers and health care utilization rates, however, are all low.

In terms of reproduction number, Cebu City has 0.62, Lapu-Lapu has 0.52, and Mandaue has 0.55. Cebu City’s HCUR is 42 percent, Lapu-Lapu’s HCUR is 32 percent, and Mandaue’s HCUR is 50 percent.

Last week, the Department of Health reported that the whole Central Visayas is now under moderate risk in case classification. – JMO (The Freeman)

https://www.facebook.com/cebucity.info/videos/658748042129626
^{Link to the Facebook LIVE cast of PANAGHISGOT, 1st Edition on Feb. 9, 2022}.