EDITORIAL - The new variant is here

We all knew it was going to be a matter of when and not if. According to reports the new COVID-19 variant is now here in the Philippines.

So far the only person confirmed with this new variant is someone who lives in Quezon City who just returned from Dubai last January 7. Authorities are now tracing his contacts as well as those who were with him in the flight coming back to the Philippines.

While studies have shown the new variant isn’t deadlier than the common coronavirus strain, it was found to be more contagious. In fact an estimated 30% percent to 70% more contagious than the common coronavirus strain. This actually makes it more dangerous because it can be transmitted to another person and spread within a population faster.

While we do know some things about the new COVID-19 variant, one thing we don’t know yet is how widespread it already is here. It also still remains to be seen if the vaccines we are waiting for are actually effective against this new variant.

This is all the more reason we should be careful, and this goes double for those who take things for granted, as well as those who demand that regular Sinulog and Fiesta Señor activities resume full swing.

The problem with those who continue to ignore quarantine protocols, and those who want to dive into mass religious gatherings, is that they have this attitude that it will never happen to them. They think that they will never have the misfortune of catching the virus and spread it to friends and loved ones.

More often than not that attitude changes only after they find out they have actually caught the virus.

Now here we are, faced with a new COVID-19 strain that spreads faster among people. Something that we aren’t even yet sure can be beaten by a vaccine that has still to arrive. If that still doesn’t scare the worst among us when it comes to observing quarantine protocols, we don’t know what will.