No, CoViD is not gone. In fact, it’s still very much around us.
Last Friday, alarm bells rang across the country after news spread that an American national from China may have brought the Chinese CoViD strain into the country, particularly Negros Oriental.
This incident is eerily reminiscent to that case in January 2020 when a couple from Wuhan, China brought the world’s first CoViD case outside of China, and into Negros Oriental.
In both these cases, the travelers from China went to a resort south of Negros Oriental.
We now have a better understanding, and we have better modes of treatment for CoViD-19, and that is probably why many of us have let our guard down, half-wearing our masks, or not masking at all, and going to crowded places. Hand-washing for 20 seconds or spraying alcohol on our hands does not anymore seem something that we used to take as an hourly ritual.
People are also not as keen on getting vaccinated or getting boosted these days, judging from the low turnout at vaccination sites in Dumaguete.
Last week, our Province recorded 17 active CoViD cases. Of the 17 cases, five are in Sibulan, five in Bayawan City, three in Sta. Catalina, two in Zamboanguita, one each in Dauin and in Valencia.
Amazingly, Dumaguete City, where all the examples of how not to behave in a CoViD pandemic can be found, has remained CoViD-free!
Hopefully, we won’t have to wait to get infected by CoViD before we truly take it seriously, as a new strain could already be in our midst.
