THE “Kalusugan ay Karapatan” series being produced and broadcast by TV UP continues to impart vital information on health issues with the production and streaming of the first 4 episodes on Covid 19-related topics.
Hosted by UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla, the series’ Episode 1 tackled the topic Overview of Covid 19 with Dr. Marissa Alejandria, director of the UP Manila NIH Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and President of the Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, as resource person. The following are excerpts from the Q and A. Watch the full program here.
What is COVID-19 and what are its symptoms?
Covid-19 is caused by SARS COV2 virus. It usually starts as a mild illness which can progress to moderate (mild and moderate~80%), severe (15%), or critical stage(5%). Symptoms are variable and may include fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, or loss of smell and taste. In moderate cases, there will be additional shortness of breath and pneumonia that can be seen on X-ray. In severe cases, difficulty in breathing worsens and may need ventilatory support in an ICU. When patients deteriorate, like needing dialysis, they are in critical stage.
How does the virus spread from one person to another?
It mostly spreads from person to person among close contacts through infected respiratory droplets that come out during coughing, sneezing, or talking/singing. Some of the virus settle on surfaces and can be introduced to the mouth, nose, or eyes by hands that touched those surfaces.
These are the reasons why it is very important to maintain physical distancing, wear mask, properly cover cough and sneeze, and wash hands frequently.
What is the presymptomatic period in this infection?
The virus starts being shed two days before there are any symptoms and can already infect others; but transmission is high when symptoms are manifest. Physical distancing and mask wearing are therefore important to protect contacts during this presymptomatic period when there are no or just mild symptoms. Washing of hands is also very important at this time to prevent contamination. When exposed to an infected person, the contact may develop symptoms 2 to 14 days after, average of 5-6 days.
The last pandemic was the Spanish flu of 1918. What can we learn from it?
The Spanish flu of 1918 and the COVID-19 are both pandemics, able to spread across continents; and both have no treatment or vaccine (so far for COVID-19) which led to lives lost, 50-100 million for the Spanish flu. To control that pandemic, quarantine and isolation measures were also implemented. It lasted till 1920 because there was a second wave after the quarantine measures were lifted. We have to is learn from this. We have to calibrate our responses in terms of the quarantine measures or the non-pharmaceutical interventions that we are implementing now to contain and mitigate this pandemic.
As an infectious disease specialist, what are your messages for the general public and to our policy makers?
For the general public, we need to lead a healthy lifestyle; and for us to control this pandemic, discipline and cooperation in implementing personal protective measures are paramount. These are physical distancing, hand hygiene, proper cough etiquette, and not stressing ourselves with misinformation. We need to be responsible, listen to credible sources, and not be tempted to spread fake news.
For our health workers, we have to work together and not forget that as clinicians, it’s not just about the laboratory test. It is about being astute and alert. The tests are important in monitoring the numbers in this pandemic. Let us adhere to guidelines which are evidenced-based. Let us comply with reporting so we can monitor number of cases and determine if we are controlling the disease.
For the government, my message is – health is everyone’s business. One lesson from this pandemic is – health is a valuable cost effective investment. We incurred a lot of losses including economic losses due to Covid. If we invest in our health system, we invest in the health of our population and we can probably prevent another epidemic or pandemic. The minimum health standards that we are now imposing, if we implement them seriously, will go a long way not just for Covid but also for other diseases. Universal health care should start with preventive health care. We need to expand our disease surveillance system, contact tracing, and responsive laboratory. The public, private, and academe have to work with a bayanihan para sa bayan spirit and continue a societal approach with government for a healthy country.
