LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March Fianza
You cannot miss a person fingering a cell phone. That was yesterday. Today, one cannot miss a person wearing a mask. That person is avoiding something – getting infected with the novel Coronaviruses (nCoV).
Wearing a protective medical mask is a simple way of telling others in a crowd to maintain distances. Without uttering any word, the person with a mask is alerting people around to stay away.
Maintain at least four feet of distance between yourself and other people, particularly those who are coughing and sneezing. Someone who sneezes or coughs releases small droplets containing the virus that you can inhale if you are too close.
Wearing a mask or quarantining oneself is a natural frontline defense to the nCoV. By doing so, you might just be able to protect yourself and the people around you from getting sick.
Medical experts said nCoV is a deadly virus that causes illness that has no sure cure as of the moment. It is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
The first patient with symptoms was identified in Wuhan, China on December 1, 2019. A month later, Wuhan authorities said that there were 27 cases of an unknown type of pneumonia.
They alerted the World Health Organization, and named the new virus, 2019-nCov. The first death was announced on January 11. By January 29, 2019-nCov cases had been reported in 15 countries.
The common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. So if you have these, better decide to just stay at home and quarantine yourself.
When news of the new virus became viral in the first week of January, the Department of Health did what it thought was the right thing to do. At this time when everyone is facing emergencies because peoples’ lives are in danger, lawmakers on their swivel chairs should stop looking for people to blame for shortcomings.
Instead of finding faults, we have to put our faith on the DOH in preventing the virus from spreading to an uncontrollable level. It is the only health agency we have, and though the health workers are not Superman or Batman, certainly they were up on their feet as soon as they were informed of the nCoV.
In an inquiry in both houses of congress where DOH officials led by Sec. Francisco Duque were invited, leading questions were asked that pointed to the lack of speed in giving instructions to local hospitals on what to do to patients with nCoV.
While that may be true, I am sure that is something that none of the self-important lawmakers could have accomplished themselves if they were in the shoes of health officials and medical workers as frontline responders.
To prevent the infection from spreading, the DOH announced standard recommendations such as regular hand washing because water can kill the virus.
Of course, we have been taught since childhood to cover our mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. And we have to thoroughly cook our food, especially meats and eggs. So in the meantime, say goodbye to your kilawen.
The latest news the other day was that there were more than 28,000 suspected infections spread out in 28 countries. At least 564 deaths were reported while 1,137 patients recovered.
Then there came the unnecessary discrimination and anti-China feeling around the globe that was fueled by the outbreak, as manifested by shops barring entry to Chinese nationals.
While hundreds of thousands of South Koreans and Malaysians signed online petitions urging authorities to ban Chinese from visiting their countries, Boracay residents and officials banned not just tourists from China but from all countries affected by the coronavirus.
Of course, Luisa’s Café, the home of the Chongloy News Network (CNN-Cordillera) is exempted from the discrimination being felt in other tourist hubs. It is still a healthy place with no 2019 novel coronavirus.
While the owner Roland “Chongloy” Wong has Chinese blood running in his veins, he is more of an Igorot and very much Cordilleran. I am sure he is not infected with nCoV.
In defense the Chinese, individuals and some organizations through their online accounts urged the public to refrain from being discriminatory. The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) discouraged the public from posting comments approving or liking racist messages on social media.
Henry Lim Bon Liong, FFCCCII President urged the public to not join people in their unfair anti-China attacks, saying China as an Asian neighbor has always been the Philippines’ traditional ally and longstanding trade partner for over 1,000 uninterrupted years.
True. Although, as early as the 16th century, the Chinese were already hated by the Spaniards because they were only around 1,000 while there were already 30,000 Chinese merchants who run most of the retail business.
In Mankayan, Benguet; natives claim that the gold, silver and copper mines were first operated by the Chinese before Lepanto Company was established. That explains why original families in Suyoc bear Chinese sounding names.
In Kapangan, the barangays namely Datakan, Labueg, Paykek, Pudong and Lumon are Chinese names. That also explains why most of the workers of Ah Khong of old Dainty Café came from Chinese mestizo families of Kapangan.
Then there are “myths” being spread on social media that were linked to the nCov that have to be broken. For example, people receiving letters or packages from China People are not at risk of contracting the virus. Coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages.
Another false myth is that rinsing the nose with saline and gargling with mouthwash do not prevent infection. Neither can eating garlic prevent infection from nCoV. While it is a healthy food with antimicrobial properties, there is no evidence that eating garlic prevents infection from nCoV.
Until recently, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the 2019-nCoV. The best medicine so far is to practice respiratory hygiene.
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