Spiking

Seventy-seven.
That is the number of people in Baguio that were afflicted by the Covid-19 last Oct. 5. On an earlier date, 68 were infected. And still, on a later date, there were 38.
It is alarming that the number of Covid-19 cases is not decreasing but increasing to a disproportionate level. According to data supplied by the city information office, there are as many as 2,000 residents who are infected, so far. For a city that has a little less than half a million population, that is quite a number.
With the trend that our health condition is going through, we are prone to ask, “What is wrong?” Have we become overconfident that we are slowly but surely putting our guards down in the fight against Covid-19? Has our newfound freedom likewise given the virus the same freedom to dispel us? Have our leaders and other concerned public officials become lax in the implementation of health protocols?
The measures that were strictly implemented at the height of the lockdown remain to be in place. The policemen and women who guard against violation of quarantine and travel rules are still in their posts. Health standards are implemented with exactitude. Yet, the number of Covid-19 patients is on the rise. Well, if it is any consolation, the percentage of recovery is high and the corresponding percentage of death is low. So far, the city claims less than 10 deaths from among those who were confined and treated for the viral disease.
However, the measure of success in the battle against the pandemic is not the number of deaths but the number of those who remain healthy. The desired result is not to limit those who will die but to limit those who will get infected. To flatten the curve, as they say. With the rate our Covid-19 infection is going, we are not flattening the curve but spiking it. It is an indication that more should be done.
The number of Covd-19 patients might be increasing because of the availability of more test kits. Yet, it is also apparent that there are more people going out and roaming our streets than before. The sad part of it is that those who are freely roaming are not strictly following health protocols. Try walking up and down Session Road one morning and you will witness for yourself how shabby pedestrians wear their face masks and face shields. Their face masks are half-cocked, meaning, they have it lowered below their noses while their face shields are half-drawn, meaning, it is covering their foreheads and not their faces. Some even use it on a reverse mode or like a head covering ala chef. This is wrong.
The purpose of wearing a face mask and a face shield is to limit the transmission of the virus which is accomplished through droplets emanating from the mouth and the nose. The face mask is to prevent the travel of the virus that is discharged from the mouth and the nose, whereas the face shield is to prevent the absorption of the virus by the nose and the mouth. Either way, it always involves the mouth and the nose. Thus, the proper use of the face mask and the face shield goes hand-in-hand like a husband and a wife. An improper positioning of one will render useless to the other. Can you see the significance of wearing the two properly? If you can’t, you are doomed to contract the virus sooner or later.
The fight against the Covid-19 is a concerted effort. It involves everybody. It is not only in implementation of rules and policies that it can be solved. It is in the participation of each and every one. This is why we see posters displayed everywhere that says, “We heal as one.” What part of “we” don’t you understand?
Yes, it is uncomfortable to wear a mask and a shield 10 hours a day. It makes breathing harder, it clogs the nose, it blurs the vision, and it covers your smile. But then, this is better than getting sick which, after 14 days, may cause your death or the death of others.
If only we can be more conscious of our obligation to obey the simplest protocol against the contagion like properly wearing a mask and a shield, observing physical distancing, and constantly washing our hands, the number of Covid-19 cases in our city will dramatically fall. The sooner we achieve this, the sooner we can normalize our lives. Think about it then do your part.