EDITORIAL - The gift of health

As people plan holiday celebrations in the time of COVID, the World Health Organization is urging everyone to consider giving the most precious Christmas present in this pandemic: the gift of health.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the reminder as people prepare to celebrate the most joyous event in Christendom, shopping for gifts and readying special meals for holiday get-togethers. Over the past weeks, Tedros reminded everyone, there has been a 60 percent increase in COVID cases worldwide.

Even as countries begin rolling out the first vaccine against COVID, the pathogen continues its rampage across the globe, as virulent and deadly as ever. As COVID vaccination with the Pfizer shots got underway in the United Kingdom last week, the United States registered a record high number of deaths in a single day, with 3,124 Americans succumbing to COVID on Dec. 9.

In the Philippines, experts are worried that the slowdown in COVID transmission in recent weeks could be reversed during the holidays, with cases already beginning to rise in the past days. Officials have urged people to temper Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, limiting family gatherings and observing health safety protocols while shopping for the holidays. Even the use of torotot or horn noisemakers is being discouraged during the New Year’s revelry.

In recent days, shopping has been particularly problematic for enforcers of health protocols, as consumers crowd outdoor public markets. As people prepare to celebrate Christmas in this year of tragedy, it would be useful to heed the reminder from the WHO director general: “The festive season is a time to relax and celebrate but... celebration can very quickly turn to sadness if we fail to take the right precautions. As you prepare to celebrate over the coming weeks, please, please consider your plans carefully. If you live in an area with high transmission, please take every precaution to keep yourselves and others safe. That could be the best gift you could give – the gift of health.”