The nation has entered a "phase of acceptance" in living with the pandemic, where people are aware of the risks but are learning to manage them, Go Negosyo founder and the lead of the Jobs group of the Private Sector Advisory Council Joey Concepcion said.
"I call it a phase of acceptance; I believe it has started and that we will have to live with the risks of the virus still being around," he said.
This was amid contentions from infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante on the World Health Organization's assertion that the doom of the Covid-19 pandemic is already "in sight."
Aside from this, medical practitioners have been warning that the country may experience more Covid cases as outdoor masking rules have been relaxed despite vaccination rates remaining sluggish.
The return to in-person classes also raised fears that the virus might reach even home-bound elderly citizens and the immunocompromised, who are much more likely to suffer severe illness and even death.
Next move, individual's call
Concepcion, nevertheless, is banking on the statement of another infectious disease expert, Dr. Benjamin Co, who said that the country cannot wait for everyone to decide on their health.
"We cannot protect everyone all the time. I guess we have already provided everyone with the tools to prevent, diagnose and treat Covid-19. The next move is ours on an individual basis," Co said.
Co further explained that it may appear that Covid cases are going down globally, but it is not since "people are not testing as frequently as before and prefer to move on despite the pandemic."
Co further likened the pandemic to the stages of grief: Anger, denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
"The sixth stage is the final journey after acceptance — finding meaning. With lives upended by the pandemic… it is difficult to get back to the way it was. We will never be the same anytime soon. Yet we need to be," he said.
Concepcion, meanwhile, said that Filipinos have been guided and advised for the last two years and that vaccinations remain free to avail across the country.
"Doctors advise us on how we should handle Covid, but in the end, it is us that makes the choice. We suffer the consequences of our wrong decisions in life; this is no different," he said.
Moreover, he explained that since the country cannot legally mandate vaccinations, it will need to stock up on antiviral medicines, especially to be able to treat those who become severely ill.
"The world has started moving on; let's not be the last ones to accept this fact," according to Concepcion.
