IT’S NOT as helpless as it seems. There appears to be some glimmer of hope at the horizon like they say there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
It has been 10 months when this COVID-19 pandemic broke out and just two months to go and the year will be over. Shall it be a merry Christmas or not?
The whole world is still waiting with bated breath for the vaccine to come and we can celebrate a COVID-19 free yuletide season.
The scenario at the moment does not look promising. Is the curve flattened or is it still curved?
Here in “I Am Iloilo City” we are under MGCQ or Modified General Community Quarantine and it is not because the COVID-19 virus is gone but because we’re trying to save the economy from turning belly up.
Mayor Geronimo is at his wits’ end and sometimes you just have to understand him when he becomes exasperated and loses his cool. He has been pleading with the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” to strictly follow the protocols to stop the virus from spreading but it seems to no avail as the number of COVID-19 positive cases has no let up.
The protocols are simple enough and it does not take any extraordinary effort to follow them:
1. Wear a mask and face shield – properly, of course – when in public places.
2. Strictly maintain social distancing in public vehicles and places. No need to be cozy.
3. Wash your hands with soap and water or disinfect them with alcohol.
Seems simple enough and a 10-year-old child will have no problem following these protocols, and yet the curve remains curved.
The problem here are the adults who do not follow the protocols. You see them all over the city and malls, their facemask covering their chin and neck but exposing the mouth and nose, while their face shield is covering their forehead.
Meanwhile, in the barangays these people play tong-its and mahjong, go on drinking sprees with their barkadas, go to funeral wakes and sabong in complete disregard of the social distancing protocol.
The same is also true in offices, particularly government offices. While they all go through the semblance of wearing facemask and face shield and the de rigueur alcohol hand disinfection, you see them eating together sans facemask while being cozy in their service vehicles in complete disregard of social distancing.
Take note: just because they’re your officemates does not mean they can’t infect you. Unless you’re intimate with them you don’t know where they’ve been or with.
But don’t fret as all is not lost. There have been alternative researches and studies simultaneous with the frantic search for vaccines to look for other means to combat the COVID-19 virus, this time through natural sources.
In previous columns I have talked about the studies done on cannabis oil as an alternative and natural means to combat the COVID-19 virus and it looks very promising considering that cannabis oil has anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties.
For the uninformed, cannabis oil is derived from the plant marijuana. Yes, the very plant still illegal and considered a drug (how utterly stupid) in the Philippines.
Here in the Philippines there is also a study done on another plant, rather the fruit of a tree, for its anti-viral properties, and is not illegal and quite abundant in these islands.
Excerpts from the Oct. 19, 2020 article on the Philippine Daily Inquirer:
Virgin coconut oil a potential antiviral agent vs COVID-19, research shows
Experiments have shown evidence that virgin coconut oil may defeat the new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“There are still alternative solutions against COVID-19 aside from vaccines. Although further investigation is needed before we develop a possible prevention or treatment option, we aim to give Filipinos hope through our ongoing local research initiatives,” Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said in a statement.
After six months of experiments, results showed that compounds from coconut oil and virgin coconut oil, or VCO, a readily available commodity in the Philippines, decreased Coronavirus count by 60 to 90 percent at low viral load.
Researchers also discovered that the compounds were observed to improve cell survival.
More experiments, however, are needed to determine whether higher concentrations of these compounds will further reduce the replication rate of the virus.
“The results are very promising, as not only does it shows that VCO, by itself, can destroy the virus, but it also has a key mechanism in regulating the immune response against COVID-19. Indeed, we look forward to the results of clinical trials on the various uses of VCO as an adjunct for the treatment of COVID-19,” said Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.
Indeed there is hope yet with or without the vaccine. To think that Virgin Coconut Oil or VCO is readily available and very affordable./PN
