Quezon City – Coronaviruses belong to a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The Coronavirus Disease 2019 also known as COVID-19 is a newly discovered respiratory disease which is novel when an outbreak in Wuhan, China last December 2019 started. This coronavirus can be transmitted via respiratory droplets when talking, sneezing or coughing. COVID-19 has similar symptoms with a common flu and self-awareness is a must. Symptoms of the COVID-19 are fever, cough, runny nose, difficulty in breathing, sore throat, body pain, headache and dizziness.
If symptoms persist, do not panic! It might only be a common flu. Do not let this coronavirus reach you! Practice these ten personal protective measures such as a) practice proper hygiene, b) regular washing of hands using soap and water for at least 20 seconds, c) regular use of alcohol and alcohol-based sanitizer, d) appropriate cough etiquette, e) proper wearing of surgical mask, f) hinder yourself from touching your eyes, nose and mouth without sanitizing, g) temporarily stop your travel plans to provinces or countries, h) avoid going to crowded places if unnecessary, i) eat healthy and be physically active to strengthen immune system and j) properly dispose the used tissues in a garbage can to prevent accumulation of disease. If the following symptoms were observed and/or you travelled outside the Philippines, have yourself checked in the nearest health facility to immediately identify the case and appropriate actions to be done.
To protect and promote the right to health of all Filipinos, the President of the Philippines declared a state of public health emergency throughout the country under Proclamation No. 922 last 8th of March 2020. With this, the Department of Health advised that all concerned agencies, local government units and health care providers to collaborate and impart their full assistance in implementing the measures and actions to eliminate the COVID-19 threat. According to DOH, individuals do not need to be alarmed and scared if they did not have any physical contact with a confirmed positive patient. At the end of the day, only you can save yourself. Panicking from the news and updates we see will not give any help. Always practice the personal protective measures and report immediately if you have any physical contact with patients positive with COVID-19. Lastly, let us be responsible in spreading news regarding COVID-19 only from reliable sources. - NKSLoyola
Sources: Department of Health
World Health Organization
