ROJoson Stance and Stand on COVID-19

ROJoson's Stance and Stand on COVID-19:

20mar26

Updated: 20apr21

Updated: 20may23

May 23, 2020

Stance 1: Consider all persons are potentially contaminated and infected with COVID-19, unless one is exclusively with someone inside a residential abode for at least 14 days and that someone has not manifested symptoms of COVID-19 for at least 14 days and that someone does not come into contact with other people outside the residential abode for the past 14 days. In such instance, you are 99% sure that someone is not infected with COVID-19. If that someone has come into contact with other people outside the residential abode, the degree of certainty that you are safe from being contaminated with COVID-19 goes down to below 99%.

Stance 2: Continue to practice standard safety measures against COVID-19 even you are antibody-tested positive or you are with an antibody-tested positive. In persons tested positive for antibodies against COVID-19, World Health Organization warns against being complacent on standard safety measures against COVID-19 as the tests may be false-positive and no one is sure yet on how long the immunity will last. Positive antibody tests, if really true positive, may probably mean that the person is likely to be protected from second infection, but not 100% as WHO still warns against issuing “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates.” Furthermore, the persons with positive antibody tests may still be infective.

Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate” that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection.

There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/immunity-passports-in-the-context-of-covid-19

Stance 3: Avoid being infected with COVID-19 at the same time avoid infecting other people.

Stance 4: Go for Telemedical Consultation as indicated.

As of March 26, 2020, every one in the Philippines should be considered contaminated* at least until proven otherwise because of the presence of confirmed COVID-19 throughout the country and because of unavoidable social interactions among the people.

After contamination, the course can be:

- no infection

- infection without symptoms

- infection with symptoms

Who are these contaminated Filipinos with no infection and infection without symptoms, we don't know unless laboratory tests are conducted (which is impractical). Thus, people we interact with every second, every minute, every hour and every day, we don't know their exact status. So, consider them as contaminated and potentially with infection without symptoms and practice social / physical distancing.

In people with symptoms notably fever and/or cough and /or breathing difficulty, consider them as being infected with COVID-19 until proven otherwise. The symptoms may not be due to COVID-19 afterall but just the same, treat them as if they have COVID-19. Only laboratory tests and time (course of symptoms) will tell you the real score or diagnosis.

SO, to repeat -

As of March 26, 2020, every one in the Philippines should be considered contaminated* at least until proven otherwise because of the presence of confirmed COVID-19 throughout the country and because of unavoidable social interactions among the people.

Practice the necessary precautionary measures against being contaminated, being eventually infected without symptoms, and worst, being infected with symptoms.

  • Practice physical /social distance.

  • Practice personal hygiene.

  • Build up or at least maintain host resistance to prevent COVID19 from making you sick and worst, killing you.

Another stance in the combat of COVID-19:

There are now confirmed cases throughout the Philippines. (see map as of March 26, 2020)

Source: wikepedia

Laboratory Status of Patients in the Philippines (as of 25 March 2020; 04:00 PM)

Confirmed cases

Cases tested negative

Cases pending test results

636

728

595

38 DEATHS (as of March 25, 2020)

Source: DOH tracker

*Contamination refers to the non-intended introduction of infectious microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, fungi, and protozoans as well as viruses and prions.

Infection refers to an invasion of body tissues by microbes. The outcome of this depends on many factors. If an infection is left unchecked it can develop into disease. Disease sets in when you have a change from a healthy state to ill state from microbes living in the tissue. Many infections are taken care of by the immune system and do not develop into disease.

ROJ@20mar26;20apr21