Ensuring Workplace Safety: Testing Amidst Sars-CoV-2 Variants and COVID-19 Vaccination
By Roger Santos
Last August 5, 2021, I attended a webinar organized by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) of the Philippines entitled “Ensuring Workplace Safety: Testing Amidst SARS-CoV-2 Variants and COVID-19 Vaccination.” Invited as speaker was Dr. Mohan Ravuru, Director for Clinical & Medical Affairs of Abbot Rapid Diagnostics.
More companies are re-opening as more people continue to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, with an extra layer of protection against the virus, employees are becoming more confident to physically return to work. However, doctors and medical experts have forewarned us that getting the jab does not mean total immunity against the virulent COVID-19 and, more so, that we will never truly go back to the “old” normal. With the new normal being our next reality, a different set of standards, precautionary measures, and guidelines must be put in place to ensure the health and safety of our employees and family.
Dr. Mohan was able to shed light on the value of frequent screening in the workplace, especially now that the economy is opening up. Community transmissions will continue throughout vaccine rollouts, and potentially after, even if and when COVID-19 becomes an endemic or a seasonal infection. While the number of cases will presumably decline as more people are vaccinated, the virus remains unlikely to be completely eradicated, even if the pandemic is largely controlled. He said that the importance of testing will continue to be high because the vaccines themselves will not always be effective.
While it’s true that new variants may be resistant to current vaccines, we still don’t know how long vaccine-conferred immunity might last. Also, increased air travel between countries also introduces additional risks of spreading the virus and mutations, depending on disparities in virus control among different groups. There are now approximately 8,000 SARS-CoV-2 mutations that have already been identified through genomic sequencing, hence, testing will remain a cornerstone of COVID-19 management. Continued refinement of COVID-19 tests, along with the infrastructure to support widespread testing, is vital to obtaining precise information on individual patients and about the status of the pandemic at large.
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About the author:
Roger is a family man who loves to cook and play with his son. He spends most of his free time watching movies, especially the ones included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Roger loves to sing and, when he’s happy, he sings his heart out, without minding the people around him.
