Pres. Duterte Speaks on Possible Spread of the Omicron Variant
DUTERTE – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte admitted that he feels scared over the possible spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Countries now are on a tight watch against the Omicron variant of COVID-19. It was reported to be a “heavily mutated” variant of the virus thus the World Health Organization (WHO) warned nations to prevent its entry and its spread.
The Omicron variant was first recorded in South Africa. Several countries are implementing a travel ban now on nations that logged cases of the said variant of concern.
One of the countries with confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the Philippines. The Department of Health (DOH) logged three (3) cases of the said variant of the virus from people abroad.
Recently, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte admitted his fear over the possible spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the Philippines. He stressed that it may happen earlier considering the holiday season.
“Natatakot lang ako. Somehow, kinakabahan ako,” he said.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Pres. Duterte stressed that the fund of the Philippines is “depleted” and the government even just scraped what is left for the victims of Typhoon Odette. He admitted that the government cannot afford another spike in the cases of COVID-19 in the country although there will be new funds once the 2022 budget will take effect.
The President expressed his worries that the Omicron variant’s spread may come “earlier than expected” because of the holiday celebrations now. He expressed his fear in a taped briefing that was aired Tuesday night.
Currently, the Philippines is implementing travel restrictions on countries and areas with high cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The government continues to remind the public to observe the health protocols.
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