WHO attributes spike in COVID-19 cases to vaccine optimism, new variants

MANILA, Philippines — Optimism in the vaccine and the presence of newer and more infectious coronavirus variants are some of the reasons that are evident behind the rise in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday.

WHO Country Representative to the Philippines Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the arrival of vaccines has caused people to be lax in complying with minimum health protocols.

People also tend to leave their homes more often, partially due to their long quarantine and lockdowns.

“With the arrival of vaccines in many countries, there was an optimism that people can go back quickly to the way they lived a life before the pandemic,” he said.

“These little changes with compliance with protocols are believed to have caused an opportunity for the virus to transmit more freely,” he added.

The rise in COVID-19 cases is not only happening in the Philippines but also in several other countries.

This increase could also be attributed to new coronavirus variants, which are thought to be more contagious, WHO said.

“It is also, to some extent, linked to the circulation of new variants that are thought to have increased transmissibility,” Abeyasinghe said.

The Philippines reported another high spike in the new cases of COVID-19 on Monday at 8,019.

This brought the number of active cases to 80,970.

abc