Pres. Duterte saddened with news of acquaintances passing away due to COVID-19

“Be careful because we might not be able to make it,” Duterte tells fellow seniors

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on March 8, 2021. RICHARD MADELO/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO 

(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to all Filipinos to strictly follow minimum health protocols as the number of cases continued to rise in the country amid the entry of the UK and South African variants.

Duterte expressed sadness that many doctors and senior citizens whom he knew had fallen ill and eventually died after contracting COVID-19.

He said that many friends and acquaintances, including doctors, have passed away because of COVID-19. The sad thing too is sometimes, both husband and wife, died due to COVID-19.

At no other time, he said, has he been receiving successive news about the death of people he knew who had succumbed to COVID-19.  Whereas before such news comes once every two years, now, news about it comes even weekly, he rued.

Well, sa trabaho namin kagaya ng mga doktor, karaming doktor namatay ngayon sa COVID. At no other time na marami akong kilalang mga tao na namatay. Noon, once every two years lang, ‘Oh namatay na ‘yong ano mo kaibigan mo.’ Ngayon, weekly (In our line of work, like doctors… so many doctors have died due to COVID.  At no other time have I experienced this that many of those I knew have died.  Before, it’s once every two years. [They’ll say] ‘Oh, your friend has died’.  Now, it’s weekly),” Duterte said in his latest “Talk to the Nation.”

Ang masakit pa sa akin ‘yong mga mag-asawa kasi magkatabi palagi eh. Pagtulog, pagkain, lahat. Ngayon kung matamaan ‘yong isa, eh ‘di madali na rin ‘yon magkasakit iyong partner (What hurts me is that, [those who died are] husband and wife, because they are always together, in sleeping, eating, in everything. Now, if one gets sick, it’s easy for the partner to get sick as well),” he observed.

While children or the younger population have a better chance to fight the virus, the elderly, especially those with existing comorbidities or underlying aiments, more often than not could not survive, Duterte said.

-Duterte turning 76 this March-

That is why, the President who is turning 76 this March, is advising senior citizens like him to be extra careful and to be more mindful of minimum health protocols.

Ang problema niyan bantay kayo kasi may mga anak. Ang mga bata hindi masyado ano lumalaban ang ano eh, katawan nila. (The problem there, be on the alert, because they have children. And the children, they don’t get hit as much, because their bodies can fight [the virus]. Pero tayong matatanda (But we, the elderly,) be careful because we might not be able to make it,” he said.

-Follow minimum health protocols-

He said senior citizens like him should be extra careful and be mindful of the health protocols such as wearing of face masks and face shield, frequent handwashing and sanitizing, and maintaining physical or social distancing. He stressed its importance amid the still raging pandemic.

Sabi nga basta ang sabi ko itong washing of the hands, social distancing and mask. It’s your life. You only live once,” he added.

COVID-19 cases in the country reached more than 600,000 on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, with active cases reaching more than 41,000 or 7 percent of total cases.

COVID-19 deaths are also increasing and have reached 2.09 percent of total COVID-19 cases. As of Tuesday, March 9, COVID-19 fatalities reached 12,528. Those who recovered reached 546,078.

So far, only health care workers are prioritized to get the vaccines, while a number of military and policemen have also been vaccinated by donated Sinovac doses from China.  Senior citizens, although in the priority list, have not yet been vaccinated because of the order of prioritization set by the government, especially pertaining to vaccines provided by the World Health Organization’s COVAX Facility.

If the vaccines that came from COVAX are used for other priority groups, the GAVI vaccine alliance warned that this can lead to the termination of the COVAX agreement.

(Eagle News Service)