Esnara: Outsmart nCoV

THE 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) is catching everyone’s attention lately, not just because it is novel, but notorious. For those who are not in the medical field like me, it is another form of a coronavirus (CoV), like the one that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), but a newer one, that’s why it’s called “novel.”

The identified source of this new virus is from the bats. It is believed that a common CoV has mutated, improved its state to a virus that can be transferred to other animals and humans then infecting each other through the air they breathe. Some claimed that it developed after eating Chinese cuisine with bats like soups, stews, or curry. We can never know. What we should know is how to be pro-active so as not to be affected by this novel coronavirus.

As of this writing, nCoV has ended the lives of at least 106 individuals in the entire world. In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) has not recorded a single case as of today. Affected places are Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, France, and the United States. In fact, travelers from all around the world are being advised to cancel all trips to China to be safe from the virus.

I’m sure that you don’t want this virus as much as I do. There are a lot of things that we can do to make sure that we won’t get infected by it, should it reach us somehow. Among others, get back to basics; always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you haven’t washed yet, avoid touching your face with your hands; go away from persons with cough, colds, or flu; drink plenty of water and make sure to always cook your food.

Lastly, please avoid spreading fake news about nCov. Just as the DOH said, there are still no confirmed cases of nCoV in the Philippines. Should there be one, it’s an information that only DOH can announce. The text messages and information spreading in the social media of a case in the province are such fake news. This causes panic that eventually destroys society’s natural functioning and livelihood.

I have encountered the message saying a resident from Long-long, Puguis is infected and authorities are not telling the public about it. Why should the authorities hide it from you should there be one? The thing is, there is no confirmed case, so the authorities have nothing to tell. And what knowledge do these fake newsmakers have about this novel coronavirus anyway? It’s the health experts who can only determine, not us, nor the public.

Let’s not get sick by stressing ourselves much about fake news that the virus is within our community. It won’t come here because we are all individuals who wash our hands well, cook our food well, takes care of the environment and makes it clean and green! Or do you?

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