By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

Last week, I said I would share an FB post by someone who got infected by COVID-19 and detailed his experiences so everyone would have an idea how it is to be inflicted with it and how painful it is to be treated. My idea was to make people look at COVID-19 not as a numbers issue, i.e., how many active cases, recovered and died. COVID infection is about people’s life and death! Unfortunately, I can’t seem to locate that post, a very frank narration of the physical and emotional trauma he experienced. I’ll still look for it.

Meanwhile, I’d like to share a post by Dr. Ike Mendoza, a medical frontliner being the chairman of the Surgery at the Asian Medical Center in Alabang, whose entire family was infected… and needs prayers for their recovery.  I understand this has already gone viral on Facebook but I’m posting it here just the same to underscore the need to be very careful and not to be too trusting in one’s bubble – your home. He gave permission to have his message to “Gary,” a fellow surgeon, circulated if only to help families learn more how to protect themselves.

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“Good morning Gary…. My whole family got hit with Covid…. Desi and I are now admitted because of dyspnea. Kids are symptomatic, too, but not dyspneic. They seem to be improving at home. I am just monitoring them remotely. Please include us in your Prayers. Need your prayers at this time in the lowest moment in my life. It’s a turmoil of terrible emotional and psychological feelings. Unimaginable. It is already very bad when one gets infected, but really the worst of all feelings when your whole family and household help gets infected at the same time too. 

 Please be careful with yours… enforce strict household rules. Covid creeped into our homes, which i have tried my best to make it to be supposedly the safest haven for my family. I also made sure I would not bring the virus home by ensuring I wore my PAPR hood at all times even if the patient I performed surgeries on were Covid negative, put double mask and face shield without fail at all times when I do rounds, cancelled all my face to face consultations in the clinic ever since and replaced this with telehealth consultations, always showered after my surgeries for Covid patients in the hospital before going home among many other precautions.

 Our family driver was the vector who unknowingly transmitted it to everyone. He had symptoms but dismissed it as ordinary cough, cold, and weakness he got from the rain. He returned to work Monday without informing us. He drove for Desi and kids Last Tuesday, and Thursday and unknowingly infected them.  He shared the room with my driver who drove for me and unknowing infected me in the car as well. When I reached home last Friday I heard someone coughing at the kitchen and that’s when I knew someone was potentially infected.  I interviewed them and that’s when I found out the driver had the symptoms. I had him get RT PCR immediately that afternoon. Results came out positive Saturday evening. Mild Symptoms of headaches in our family started coming out Saturday evening. We did all our tests the following Sunday morning and turned out positive in the evening. More Symptoms started coming out. Miguel is negative though, thank God . However Everyone turned out to be positive. Desi and I seem to be worse than everyone. Everyone is vaccinated except my bunsos Matthew and Monique. I worry for them.

 We were all blindsided by this. I was blindsided by this. I am sharing this with you so this may be a lesson learned for everyone. Now is really the most stressful experience I have ever gone through. I hope and pray everyone pulls through. We’re on probably Day 4. The cytokine storm will come on day 7-12 when it is most crucial. I hope the vaccines work. But Matthew and Monique have not been vaccinated yet. I hope our immune systems work well. The worst part Gary, as a surgeon, unlike even most difficulty surgeries I had through the years where I would more or less be able to predict the outcome and anticipate it and do corrective measure, I feel so helpless with this virus I could not predict the outcome. We have seen patients with Covid doing well few days then suddenly crash and desire all efforts their O2 saturation will not go up and just like that … they are gone. This virus is so vicious, so relentless, and so unpredictable. It changes forms. Even if we thought we could handle it already… a new variant arrives.

 Make sure you are always doubly protected in your consults and surgeries and shower before going home after surgery on a Covid patient. Wear PAPR or similar EVEN if patient is RTPCR negative in your surgeries. BE strict in your household rules. Ensure these rules are implemented. Nag everyone if you need to. Avoid weekend offs for your kasambahays. If you give them offs, Create a schedule of long weeks off of like maybe every 3 months with 1 week off, 1 week quarantine, and RTPCR before returning. Remain vigilant. I would not want you or my friends or anyone to experience what we are all going through now. The surge is real. I am now experiencing the other side of the fence in our profession, afflicted with this terrible disease Gary. I am now a patient hoping to get Healed and still a doctor trying to heal my family. I pray something good comes out of all this.

 Thank you for your indulgence in so many times and most specially for your friendship all these years Gary. You are the best!

 Be safe. Be vigilant.  Protect your family.

 Morale of this story: Make everyone in the household, including helpers, drivers, gardeners, cooks, etc. to be conscious of symptoms of COVID-19 infection and urge them to be honest about their situation.

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RISKS AND THREATS. National media have been quiet for the past months about the use of Ivermectin as either cure or preventive medicine for COVID-19. So, I wonder how many Pangasinenses have taken it and how their experiences went.

It’s use is still regulated and FDA has advised that prescriptions by veterinarians should only be given to be used for what it was approved – for animals!

Lest we forget, Ivermectin is used to treat parasite infections like head lice, scabies, ascariasis and lymphatic filariasis. It is not anti-viral or a prophylaxis for Covid-19. Nonetheless, a number of doctors swear thy successfully treated COVID-19 patients.

Whatever, let it not be said that surefire preventive magic medicine has been found. Not even vaccines can provide 100% full guarantee against any strain of the COVID-19 virus.  What is only provided by government are what it considers safe and tested treatment for COVID.

The risks and choices are there for anyone to take. Whatever you choose or not choose, you are risking your own life.

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WHO WANTS TO SEE DAGUPAN AS CRITICAL RISK AREA? Is Mayor Brian Lim baiting for Dagupan City to be placed on lockdown, just so the city will be given its share of P4k ayuda per family by the national government?

 I found it strange that Mr. Lim can casually talk about the possibility of all the COVID-19 variants being detected in the city without citing his official sources. Not even the DOH regional office never hinted of it at any time. There was even no suspicion that a Dagupeño is suspected of being infected by any of the three deadly COVID variants of late!

 Is Mr. Lim actually hoping that the situation in the city will get worse to deserve to be placed in total lockdown so millions in ayuda will be in his hands?

 Announcing perhaps stricter enforcement of protocols, including checking of body temperatures in barangays with highest number of cases or strict monitoring of movements of cargo trucks arriving from Bulacan would have been a timely warning in view of the rising cases in NCR+. But obviously that was not what he has in mind.

 Was the opening of the Tondaligan Beach during a critical period in the past, a part of this agenda?  

 What he failed to see that by merely possible factors that would call the attention of the National IATF to the city’s “worsening” situation, he, as mayor, has accountability for the poor and dismal management of the pandemic.

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