We’re lost in a masquerade
Credit to Author: Rolly G. Reyes| Date: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 17:44:08 +0000
The way it’s going, we will be wearing masks forever to be safe from pollution, volcanic ashes, toxic fumes from forest fires and strange new diseases. It looks like the “NextGen” will quickly evolve into the “MaskGen.”
My recent trip to Cebu betrayed a populace that is alarmed, paranoid, restless and confused. I myself did not know when and where to don that seemingly mandatory facial accessory to keep me safe from this notorious strange breakout. The danger seems to lurk everywhere in places where homo sapiens congregate such as in malls, airports, offices, schools, toilets or any public place.
Before, the only masked men I know were Batman, Darth Vader, Spiderman, Zorro, the Lone Ranger, the Phantom of the Opera and that oriental sidekick Kato in the short lived “Green Hornet.” Masks were also identified being used by bank robbers, kidnappers and other men of criminal instincts.
Due to the rule of law of supply and demand, we now have scarcity of stocks available otherwise procured only by doctors and hospital staff. Bashers blamed the government’s sluggish approach to the problem. They blame the government for not being congenital fortune-tellers or for not having the Nostradamus DNA to foresee the future.
Truly, times are changing. Or are we the ones changing the times? Cynics may argue that it is just like marriage, which is destined to be “for better or for worse.” Paranoia of global scale is ominous and may have an apocalyptic impact if mobility is hampered.
Let us step a few kilometers back to fact check this monster.
The new virus called 2019 novel coronavirus has been at the forefront of anxieties consuming the international community.
But what is coronavirus?
Gathering information from medical authorities, it was known to be first identified in the ‘60s. They admitted that they don’t know the origin except for its crown-like shape. Coronavirus can infect both human and animals.
It propagates like a common cold and infects others through sneezing, coughing, touching an infected person’s hands or even face. So much for handshake and slapping. Touching doorknobs and plumbing can expose one to possible contamination. By the way, almost everyone gets a coronavirus infection at least once in his lifetime and most likely as a young child.
The next question is to determine the symptoms. Experts proclaim that running nose, coughing, sneezing, sore throat and fever are signs worth examining further. In most cases, you would not know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus.
Social media is abuzz with precautionary remedies that seem to enlighten or confuse everyone. Untiring circulation of preventive measures ignited bushfires coming from unknown sources. That adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” swims in every corner of screen.
Since there is no vaccine yet, it may help to abide with some of some of them. It is quite similar to the steps for avoiding cold.
There is no vaccine for coronavirus. To help prevent a coronavirus infection, do the same things you do to avoid the common cold — washing your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; keeping your hands and fingers away from your eyes, nose and mouth; and avoiding close contact with people who are infected.
Treatment? Getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids.
Current statistics says that the majority of confirmed cases are in China, where it originated. A whooping 9,723 cases were recorded. Another 11 cases were confirmed in 20 countries. These countries include Thailand and Japan with 14 each. All reported deaths have been in China, and include 17 health care workers. Several media outlets are reporting the first two confirmed cases in the United Kingdom in members of the same family.
A bit of good news from Nippon.com: “Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases said last Friday that it has succeeded in cultivating and isolating the new coronavirus, first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, from a person in Japan who has been confirmed to have the virus. Using the isolated virus, the institute will start work to develop a vaccine and a drug for the coronavirus, as well as a test kit capable of quick diagnosis. It will also offer the isolated virus to researchers and companies, while trying to discover the infection mechanism and promoting research on the toxicity of the virus.”
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A balikbayan friend of mine surprised me by griping about how the we are tackling the building of new airports around the National Capital Region or Metro Manila. Quite surprising because he knows that I am not working for the government, not an engineer nor an urban planner. Well, I have met a lot of those who think they know more than us who were born and grew up in this country. They sneer like they are better than all of us who decided to stay. Our country is not perfect, but other countries are not, either. They sound as if they pay taxes here or dumped huge investments. They think that staying here for a week or two gives then the right to ridicule our system. If they cannot say something nice to our country, I suggest they should just stay in the country that they adore and enjoy the glory of their glutathioned skin.
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Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.