Treating Mild COVID-19 Cases at Home

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Care Tips to Learn for You and Your Loved Ones 

".Most NCR hospitals at a critical stage," "Mindanao hospitals run out of COVID-19 beds," "Patients treated in vehicles as hospitals are now full; other facilities also reach full capacity."

These are the looming scenarios we hear on the news every day. With the highest daily COVID-19 infection recorded by authorities, aggravated by lack of resources and fundings, hospitals are pushed to ask patients to seek healthcare services elsewhere.

On the lighter side, most of these recorded cases are asymptomatic, or patients with mild symptoms typically last about 7-10 days. It includes:

 

• Flu-like symptoms 
• Dry cough 
• Mild fever 
• May lose a sense of smell or taste 
• Tiredness, muscle aches, or a headache 
• Sore throat or runny nose in some cases 

 

While a COVID-probable person might not get medical service in healthcare facilities, the World Health Organization (WHO) released interim guidance including home-based care of patients with mild or moderate COVID-19. 

 

Here are some ways to care for someone at home or in a non-healthcare setting. 

 

Talk to a doctor thru teleconsultation or home-service consult. 

If one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms are present, it is advised to book a consultation with a physician immediately. The good thing is local government units have health offices that provide free teleconsultations and swab tests. Some private clinics are also offering home-service consultations so you can be attended at home. Talking to a healthcare person gives you the proper ways to manage your symptoms effectively. 

 

Take your medicines and vitamins as prescribed. 

After a consultation, your doctor will give you prescription medicines to treat your COVID-19 symptoms. Your doctor will also provide you with a list of supplements you can take to support your immune system. 

 

One medicine your doctor will probably prescribe you is the Erdosteine Ectrin. It is a mucolytic that is indicated for the treatment of both acute and chronic bronchitis. In the latest Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine 2020 Journal, Professor Pierachille Santus authored a study that resulted in an overall improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) amongst hospitalized patients with Covid-19 related pneumonia and severe respiratory failure, with the addition of erdosteine to usual therapy.  

 

As the positive demand for this medication arises, Orient EuroPharma Philippines answered this call. They donated Erdosteine Ectrin medicines to treat 500 post-covid patients Veterans Memorial Medical Center and Quirino Memorial Medical Center--the government COVID centers in Metro Manila. It is in OEPP’s fulfillment of its mission in helping the country and supporting the Filipino patients who are suffering from this deadly disease. 

 

Have a separate room in your house. 

COVID patients undergo a 14-day quarantine. So, it is a must to give the patient an isolated room for treatment. The room must be well-ventilated and equipped with groceries and basic medical equipment such as a thermometer, oximeter, alcohol, and facemask. If possible, provide the patient a separate bathroom. If a second bathroom is not feasible, disinfect the bathroom for every use. 

 

Keep yourself hydrated and well-rested. 

On top of the medications, COVID patients must drink a lot of water and get enough rest to help their bodies recover quickly. Provide them a supply of clean drinking water in their isolation room for easy access. 

 

Practice hygiene and proper waste management at home. 

Regular cleaning of the house is a must. Disinfect every table, doorknobs, floor, and every surface of the house with disinfectants or 70% alcohol. Handwashing and wearing of face masks must be practiced regularly as well. Waste from the COVID patients must be disinfected and wrapped securely before disposal. 

 

Maintain emotional support from loved ones. 

Reading a ‘positive’ note on your result is stressful. Isolating is worse. Therefore, it is advised to maintain emotional support from friends and family to lessen the patient's emotional stress. While you can’t physically comfort them, social media and video calls can be a helpful way to communicate your comfort and care. Entertainment media can also cope with their boredom. 

 

Monitor the condition regularly. 

Lastly is to monitor the patient’s condition regularly. Have their doctor’s contact number on hand and seek emergency care if experiencing a worsening condition such as trouble breathing, pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to stay awake, and blue-colored skin, lips, or nails. 

 

For COVID-related prescription medicines, nutricare, and other health breakthroughs, visit Orient EuroPharma Philippines at https://www.oepgroup.com.  

The Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built Returns to Sailing

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Seven Seas Explorer Commences Inaugural Season from Trieste, Italy

Seven Seas Explorer has welcomed luxury travellers back on board for the first time since the voluntary industry-wide pause in operations. Excited guests embarked the ship known as the most luxurious ever built on 15 October, 2021, in Trieste, Italy, for an unforgettable journey through Italy, Croatia and Greece, whilst experiencing the highest benchmarks of service in lavishly designed suites, restaurants, bars and lounges.

Sailing with the cruise line’s enhanced SailSAFE™ Health and Safety Program - which includes 100% vaccination of both guests and crew – Seven Seas Explorer is the second of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises® fleet to return, joining their newest ship Seven Seas Splendor® which has been enjoying a hugely successful inaugural season since 11 September, 2021.

“It’s truly amazing to be back on board Seven Seas Explorer, and it is fantastic to see our guests being treated to the unrivalled Regent experience once again,” said Jason Montague, president and CEO, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, speaking from onboard Seven Seas Explorer. “Our crew has done an outstanding job in preparing for the ship’s return, with the service so seamless it is as if we were never away.”

Helmed by Captain Rosario Vasta, Seven Seas Explorer is cruising the Adriatic and Mediterranean Sea on an 8-night itinerary, visiting Ravenna, Italy; Zadar, Croatia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bari, Italy; Corfu, Greece; Taormina, Italy; and Sorrento/Capri, Italy. The ship arrives in Rome, Italy on 23 October, after which she will continue to cruise Southern Europe before crossing the Atlantic to Miami, Florida for a season in the Caribbean from mid-November until March 2022.

The next ships in The World’s Most Luxurious Fleet™ to resume sailing will be Seven Seas Mariner® on 18 December, 2021, and Seven Seas Navigator® on 6 January, 2022, both from Miami, Florida. Seven Seas Voyager®, Regent’s final ship to return will sail on 15 February, 2022 from Barcelona, Spain.

Multi-Layered SailSAFE Health & Safety Program

During its voluntary suspension of sailings, Regent Seven Seas Cruises built upon its existing comprehensive health and safety protocols by establishing the SailSAFE health and safety program, a robust and science-backed strategy that creates multiple layers of protection against COVID-19. The Program was developed with guidance from a team of public health and scientific experts including the SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council.

By visiting RSSC.com/HealthSafetyProtocols, guests and travel partners can see an overview of current requirements to sail - such as all guests and crew being fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure - which the cruise line believes will provide a uniquely safe and healthy cruise experience. These and other requirements will be in place until a time when the protocols can be confidently adjusted, and Regent will constantly monitor the global health environment to protect the safety and security of guests, crew and communities visited.

For more information, please visit RSSC.com, call Singapore 800-616-7097 / Hong Kong and Rest of Asia +852 2165 6020 or contact a professional travel advisor.

Small-Scale Tuna Fishers Earn MSC Certification in Historical First

Wazzup Pilipinas

Small-scale fishers bring home a big win on the road towards sustainable fisheries.

A group of small-scale tuna fishers and tuna processor-exporters were certified under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) on October 19th, in a historical first for the Philippines.

The Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership (PTHP), a group of small-scale fishers and exporters, operates in the tuna fisheries of Mindoro Strait and Lagonoy Gulf. The PTHP was formally organized in 2019, and began the full MSC assessment process in March of 2020.

MSC certification is the latest development in a decades-long Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) being run with handline tuna fishers in Mindoro Strait and Lagonoy Gulf. The goal of the FIP is to improve the environmental sustainability of fisheries.

Three principles need to be met for a fishery to be considered sustainable according to the MSC standard. First, fishing activities should be conducted in a way that allows fish populations to remain productive and healthy; second, harm to habitats and endangered species should be limited to ensure the health of the ecosystem; and third, the fishery must be managed well, with laws and plans that enable the sustainability of the fishery.

The MSC is a useful global standard for measuring the environmental performance of wild-caught fisheries like those of Mindoro Strait and Lagonoy Gulf. The PTHP is the first group in the Philippines to receive MSC certification.

“This process has created unity among everyone - among exporters, fishers, local governments, everyone. We’ve realized that it’s not about us, but about what we do here in the fisheries, our livelihood, what we do with others and what we can achieve together,” shared Philippine Association of Tuna Processors, Inc. (PATPI) Chairman Sam C. Garcia.

PATPI represents the countries’ tuna processors. The PTHP consists of both small scale tuna fishers and tuna processors.

While the PTHP has been certified by the MSC, the group still has a number of conditions to close for them to keep their certification. Conditions are requirements outlined by the MSC, and serve as a good guide in helping fisheries work towards sustainability.

For the PTHP, closing these conditions and meeting the MSC standard is a step in the right direction for the future of their fisheries.

In particular, the tuna fisheries under the PTHP need stronger habitat management strategies, policies to identify and protect endangered species, and effective monitoring and enforcement of fishery laws. Also, while tuna management plans have been drafted, local government units need to recognize them and adopt them on a municipal level for them to be effective.

Measures also need to be adopted to protect tuna fisheries throughout the region. The Philippines belongs to the Western Central Pacific region, which the MSC has flagged for not having sufficient measures in place to protect local fisheries.

The MSC has warned that, should region-wide harvest control rules and strategies not be put in place by December 2022, tuna fisheries in the Western Central Pacific could lose their MSC certification.

“For around a decade of fisheries work we fishers have grown together in order to face whatever obstacle that has come our way. With the help of government agencies and the partners who have stood alongside us, practices that once harmed the environment and our local communities have left our fisheries little by little over the many years,” said IFARMC of Mindoro Strait Chairman Bernard A. Mayo, Sr., a fisher leader who has been with the program since its inception in 2011.

“This decade-long journey we have been on together with our partner fishers has shown to us what is possible in fisheries work. We still have a long way to go before we achieve environmental sustainability for our tuna fisheries, but MSC certification stands as a testament to how far we’ve come,” shared WWF-Philippines Program Manager Joann P. Binondo.


Cover photo: A fisherman hauls a yellowfin tuna to shore upon his shoulder. In a historical first, the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership has become the first group of small-scale fishers in the Philippines to earn MSC certification. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines

Representatives of the PTHP pose for a photo during the groups’ founding in March, 2020. The PTHP consists of both small scale fishers and tuna exporters. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines

A fisher sits behind stacks of handline fishing reels. A handline can only hook a single fish at a time. Because of this, the use of handlines is less damaging to the environment than other, larger, more destructive fishing gear. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines

The MSC certification of the PTHP is the latest milestone to a decade-long effort to safeguard the tuna fisheries of Mindoro and Lagonoy Gulf. The PTHP is committed to continuously improving their fisheries, to protect their stock of fish well into the future. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines