Pangilinan reminds authorities to remain vigilant despite absence of new COVID variant

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan urged the authorities to remain vigilant and remain on their toes despite the absence of the new COVID-19 variant in the country.

The new B.1.1.7 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first reported in the United Kingdom and has not yet been officially detected in the Philippines although reports say that a Hong Kong resident who came from Manila on Dec.22 carried the virus.

Pangilinan said that even though there’s no official record in the Philippines, as per the Department of Health, the authorities tasked with containing the virus should not let up.

“Huwag nating ulitin ang mga pagkukulang natin last year. January pa lang last year, nanawagan na tayo ng preemptive ban sa mga bumibiyahe mula Wuhan at matinding contact-tracing para sa mga nandito na. Kailangang natuto na tayo at huwag nang magpapetiks-petiks pa para hindi kumalat ang sinasabing bagong variant ng COVID-19,” said Pangilinan.

(We must not repeat our mistakes last year. As early as January 2020, one year ago, we were already calling for a preemptive ban on travelers from Wuhan and an intensive contract-tracing effort for those who are already here. We should have already learned from that and not slack on our efforts to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variant.)

Vice President Leni Robredo and senators, mostly from the opposition side, suggested as early as January 2019 to impose a travel ban on people coming from mainland China, the origin of COVID-19, to stop the virus from spreading in the Philippines.

Those suggestions, however, fell on deaf ears and even received criticisms from the administration until COVID-19 ultimately spread in the country.

Pangilinan added that the government should have clear and concise reporting on the B.1.1.7 variant since Hong Kong authorities already detected the new strain of COVID-19 in their 30-year-old female resident that came from the Philippines.

“We call for a clarity of messages,” said Pangilinan. “Syempre ang unang iisipin ng ating mga mamamayan, dahil dito ang pinanggalingan ng bagong COVID positive na pasyente sa Hong Kong, ibig sabihin meron na rin dito sa Pilipinas noong bagong variant. Kailangang linawin ito ng maigi ng DOH at ire-assure ang ating mga kababayan.”

(Of course, the people will assume that the new strain is already here in the Philippines because the patient from Hong Kong has been here. The DOH should clarify these things better to reassure the public.)

“Bottomline is we must remain vigilant. We are still reporting around a thousand cases each day,” said Pangilinan.

The Philippines have recorded 479,694 COVID-19 cases as of Jan. 5.

“Malalaman din natin sa susunod na mga araw kung ano ang epekto ng holiday rush sa taas ng ating mga kaso. May virus pa po. Pandemya pa rin. Patuloy pa rin, at dapat mas pag-igihin pa, ang contact tracing,” said Pangilinan.

(We will know in the coming days what the effect of the holiday rush is on top of the current cases. There’s still a virus, the pandemic is still here. The situation is still dire and contract tracing should be intensified.) [ac]