The Overarching Problem of COVID is more Sinister than Ever.

CYRA ABBEGAILE F. BANTILLO 8/26/2021

“THE OVERARCHING PROBLEM OF COVID IS MORE SINISTER THAN EVER”

Last December 31, 2019, a disease named Coronavirus was discovered in China,
Wuhan. On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global
health emergency. On March 11, 2020, the WHO proclaimed COVID-19 a global
pandemic. Since then, the mass media publicized a lockdown; citizens were panic
buying, shops closed, others lost their jobs. Everyone started to panic. The
governments implemented rules. Months passed by, everyone thought everything
would go back to normal, or so they thought…

Everything became worst in some countries, including ours, the Philippines. Since
the President declared the lockdown, everything went quiet for a while, malls,
schools, and shops were close, but it didn't become better; it became worst. A few
months later, citizens started going out without wearing their masks; they didn't
observe the social distancing protocol. Cases began to rise, hundreds of people
died, adults and kids were infected. Some who tested positive were locked in, away
from their home, their family. Some lost their jobs.

On February 28, 2021, the Philippines receive its first COVID-19 vaccine delivery
from Sinovac. The aircraft carrying the vaccines, a transport plane of the People's
Liberation Army of China, landed at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City around 4:10 pm
on Sunday. The delivery of 600,000 doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac, a donation from
the Chinese government arrival, was expected to be witnessed by President Rodrigo
Duterte, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr at
the Villamor Air Base. Months later, the Sinovac was followed by AstraZeneca,
Sputnik V, Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J.

Last June, a new variant of the virus has reached the radar. On June 28, 2021, one
of the patients with the delta variant died. Five who tested were Filipinos returning
from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the UK. The Delta variant was found in
the Indian state of Maharashtra back in December 2020. It is in more than 96
countries. In Uk, more than 65,000 cases had been detected as of June 29. The
The Overarching Problem of COVID is more Sinister than Ever.

British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson believes that the Delta Variant is 60% more
infectious than the Alpha Variant.

The delta Variant is spreading fast; it's infecting people, killing them. Philippines
authorities have been scrambling to try and stop the variant from spreading. The
government tries to tell everyone to get vaccinated, for it helps our immune system
fight the virus. To this day, the Delta Variant is spreading fast; the tally of Delta
cases now stands at 1,273. The DOH said one cased is still active; eight patients
have died, while 457 others recovered. Of the newly detected cases of the more
contagious variant, 442 are local, 14 are returning overseas Filipinos, and 10 cases
are being identified. The listed location of the 442 additional local delta cases; 201
in Metro Manila, 69 in Central Luzon,52 in Western Visayas, 49 in Calabarzon,19 in
Central Visayas, 14 in Mimaropa,11 in Davao Region,7 in Cagayan Valley,7 in
Soccskargen,6 in Northern Mindanao,4 in Bicol Region,3 in Ilocos Region.

August 23, 2021, The Philippines health ministry reported a record 18,332 COVID-
19 infections on Monday and for the first time acknowledged community
transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus in its capital region.
The region, an urban sprawl containing the capital, Manila, and 16 cities home to
more than 13 million people, had been subject to strict lockdown measures which
were relaxed 9 for 10 days from August 21 to allow more businesses to operate.
Authorities have for several weeks attributed the current rise in cases to the Delta
variant.

On Monday, the country's genome center said it had detected an additional 466
Delta variant cases, bringing the number of people confirmed to be carrying the
variant to 1,273. The Philippines has recorded a total of 1.86 million COVID-19
cases; the statement said, a fifth of which were detected over the last 40 days.
Nearly 32,000 people in the Philippines have died with COVID-19, according to
official data. The number of active cases in the country increased to a four-month
high of 130,350.

Thousands of people died because of this virus, now that there is a new variant that
spreads faster, the positives have increased. The only solution that we got as of
now is vaccines. Vaccination is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting
people against harmful diseases before they come into contact with them. It uses
your body’s natural defenses to build resistance to specific infections and makes
The Overarching Problem of COVID is more Sinister than Ever.

your immune system stronger. Vaccines train your immune system to create
antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease. However, because
vaccines contain only killed or weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria,
they do not cause the disease or put you at risk of its complications.

Vaccines reduce the risks of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural
defenses to build protection. When you get a vaccine, your immune system
responds it recognizes the invading germ, such as the virus or bacteria, produces
antibodies. Antibodies are proteins produced naturally by the immune system to
fight disease. It remembers the disease and how to fight it. If you are then exposed
to the germ in the future, your immune system can quickly destroy it before you
become unwell. The vaccine is therefore a safe and clever way to produce an
immune response in the body, without causing illness. Our immune systems are
designed to remember. Once exposed to one or more doses of a vaccine, we
typically remain protected against a disease for years, decades, or even a lifetime.
This is what makes vaccines so effective. Rather than treating a disease after it
occurs, vaccines prevent us in the first instance from getting sick. It's been a year
since this virus started; it's about time to get rid of it. Get vaccinated to fight this
virus but...

Can the Vaccines put an end to this Pandemic?