We're back.

Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

And just like that, it’s already the 8th month of the year, with days mostly wasted away because of the pandemic which has been disrupting everyone’s life since March of last year. 

We are once again back to ECQ for two weeks (August 6-20) because of the highly transmittable Delta variant. The government took a while in deciding as they are well-aware of the economic losses that a two-week lockdown can cause. Besides, another lockdown would mean another round of ‘ayuda’ (cash aid) and frankly, I don’t think the government has enough funds for that.

The threat is very much real, that DOH just said yesterday that we are back to “high risk” classification for COVID-19 with all age groups experiencing the increase in cases. Many hospitals are nearing their full capacity.  

All of us at home, with the exception of my nephews, have been fully vaccinated. Then again, being vaccinated does not mean that we are immune to the virus as we can still catch and transmit it. Just recently, an uncle and his entire household were all tested positive for COVID (including two kids). That is even if the adults all had been fully vaccinated. It’s good though that they did not experience severe symptoms which was actually the main promise when you get jabbed.

Even so, I haven’t been out of the house except for a quick grocery run, laundry, or withdrawing money from the ATM. I have started experiencing stress and anxiety again for being cooped up, but it’s a small price to pay for my nephews’ safety. I don’t want to go out and catch something that will not affect me so much but might put the kids at risk. 

Apart from the fact that malls are closed, restaurant dine-in (indoor or alfresco) are not allowed, and mass gatherings are prohibited, ECQ season 3 (as it is fondly called) isn’t the same as the hard lockdowns we had in the past when there’s no transportation and the number of people allowed outside is kept to a minimum. Quarantine passes are not required and there are hardly local checkpoints like before. 

Whether to extend the lockdown or not is another story. And if you’ll ask me, I don’t think a lockdown with so many exceptions is the best solution because infections are more likely to spread in the household and not outside or in the workplace. 

Vaccination and herd immunity is the answer.

However, I know a lot of people who are either just hesitant to get it and those who are totally against it. I have successfully convinced a reluctant friend to get one and assured her that the side effects are nothing compared to what could happen to her if she catches COVID unvaccinated. 

It’s a different story when you come across someone who is adamantly refusing to get the vaccine, questioning its safety and efficacy. They’d argue that it’s enough that they’re fit and healthy and are following mask mandates and social distancing. While I feel such reasoning is reckless, I am not about to engage with them because it would be just a waste of my time and energy. I am not giving them the oxygen (pun intended) to defend their argument.

The even bigger problem than the anti-vaxxers is the low supply of COVID vaccines. I have friends residing in Cavite, Bulacan, and Laguna, who had been waiting for months for a vaccination schedule that they are already asking friends outside their cities if they can be accommodated. It is no surprise why on the eve of the lockdown, about 19,000 people flock to mall vaccination sites in the City of Manila when only 2,500 doses are allotted per site.

I just have this sinking feeling that I see no end to this pandemic anytime soon.