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Category: Coronavirus

Everything You Should Know About the Delta Variant

The pandemic is seemingly worsening as another virus mutation comes to light. A new strain of the coronavirus is causing panic and chaos to the peace and health strategies of the local government units and the constituents as well. The delta variant, originally traced from India, is a more severe and more contagious variant than the previous ones.

So, what have the experts discovered from this new strain? Let’s read below.

The Delta Variant Carries a More Aggressive Set of Symptoms

While it is discovered that the delta variant does have the same symptoms as the original strain, the effects are not the same. In fact, it can infect people at a more rapid rate, even making younger people sick (when compared to the original strain where people with co-morbidities and the elderly are most vulnerable). The Delta Variant grows rapidly and attacks the respiratory tract to a greater level than the original strain.

The Delta Variant Affects More and More Unvaccinated People

As the new strain infects more and more people, the number of unvaccinated people getting admitted into hospitals continue to rise as well. When compared to fully-vaccinated individuals, unvaccinated people are likely to be infected because they don’t have a primary source of protection.

Breakthrough Cases Do Happen, But It Isn’t as Severe as For Those Who are Unvaccinated

Vaccinated individuals who get infected with the Delta variant usually are asymptomatic or displays mild symptoms alone. The symptoms they display can be cured with proper medication, enough rest and isolation from other members of the family. These people do not need to be hospitalized.

Health Experts Urge People to be Vaccinated as New Strains May Emerge

Medical professionals and health experts urge the masses to be vaccinated as there are new strains likely to emerge may develop if the majority of population isn’t. As of this writing, the Delta variant is said to be the most prominent strain. However, a Lambda variant is now being assessed that is said to emerge from South America.

How Can We Protect Ourselves from the Delta Strain?

Practice Social Distancing

As much as possible, everyone is encouraged to stay indoors and if you really need to go outside, always minimize interactions with people. Keep yourself at least 6 feet away from individuals to minimize the risk of virus transmission.

Wash Your Hands

Practicing good hygiene is one way of minimizing viral transmissions. Be wary of touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. These are entryways for the virus to infect the body. If a handwashing station is not readily available, bringing a hand sanitizer or an alcohol is ideal.

Wear Your Mask

Health experts, especially with the recent outbreak of the Delta variant, urges everyone to wear their masks despite being fully-vaccinated. By wearing a mask, you will minimize the risk of being exposed to droplets that may enter through your airways.

August 16, 2021
Do Arts Help Us With Grief?
The onset of the pandemic shifted the world’s entire view in a 360-degree turn. Our normal way of living has been challenged and strategically re-arranged to fit the virus’ demands. One of the greatest devastations of the pandemic is the lives it claimed and the anxiety it brought not only to the people but to the psychological, emotional, economic and political aspects of the world.

In this regard, emotions of grief, loneliness and isolation is prevalent among the people. Because this new normal is shifting our ways of acknowledging emotions and dealing with pain, we’ll look into a more isolated solution for addressing grief.

This article will discuss on how indulging yourself in the arts can help with emotions of grief.

A Look into the Grieving Brain

When a person is grieving, several brain parts such as frontal cortex, amygdala, and cerebellum are activated. These brain parts are responsible for emotional processing, cognition and memory.

One’s sadness intensity is linked to the activity in the amygdala. If there is a strong connection between the amygdala and frontal cortex, the person will have a better chances of managing his emotions.

If, however, the connection is weak, the effect can vary from deteriorating mood to complicated grief. What’s more, such complexity, can interfere to the person’s adaptation of a deceased’s loss and lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Arts as Saving Grace for the Grieving

Grief is unique for every person. As such, there is no standard way of addressing it. But, one of the lessons you can take from each experience is that you will evolve and adapt to the changes.

While every person can address grief in a unique manner, there are healthier avenues such as arts and creativity that will alleviate (to a certain degree) the pain of loss. Let’s look at the following examples.
1. Keeping a Grief Journal
One way of acknowledging your emotions is by writing about them. To better reflect on your emotions, writing about them is the best way to let it resurface.
1. Making a Sculpted Memory
Do you have a knack for a DIY arts and crafts? If you do, then linking your physical actions to creativity is the best way to release your emotions. Using a clay-do, you can sculpt the best memory you can think of that will immortalize your love for the deceased.
1. Doodle, Scribble or Draw
If nothing else works, let your brain guide your hands and do its magic. Whether it’s some patterns of line, shapes, or sceneries, you have to let the emotions flow.

As written by Rachel Naomi Remen (a noted author and holistic healer), “At the deepest level, the creative process and the healing process arise from a single source.”
May 31, 2021
Stories of Grief and Loss of Medical Frontliners

Nowadays, our medical frontliners have become the face of the pandemic. They embody the best of what humanity has to offer and at the same time, they are the tragic collateral damage of healthcare systems that are corrupt and broken a long time ago.

While there are other service providers that we can consider as frontliners today, we cannot deny the fact that these medical professionals are the first point of contact between the virus and the people. With that said, we’re going to shed a light on how these modern day superheroes manage the hardest days and how they overcome such tragic circumstances.

Story 1: Nurse and Midwife

“For me, this pandemic only highlighted the worst in our society. It’s injustice, unequal privilege and unjust reproductive healthcare systems. There are instances where a pregnant woman would come into the emergency room asking for our help without the capacity to pay. These women are living paycheck to paycheck.

With businesses, offices and organizations closing down, they have no means of surviving in the middle of the pandemic. Even worse, these mothers have children to feed. For us who get to see such heartbreaking sight, we feel powerless and incapacitated. We can only do so much for them but what really hurts is the fact that the government doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of these situations.”

Story 2: Pulmonary Care Critical Physician and Associate Professor

“There’s a level of guilt that I always experience when a person dies from this horrible virus. As a healthcare provider, there’s always that feeling of regret or continuous what-ifs because you are taking care of a person. We must always perform at our highest capacity. But, because of this pandemic, we are put in a situation where we can’t seemingly put our best feet forward because there’s nothing we can do. “

Story 3: Emergency Room Nurse

“I was put into isolation for two weeks because the entire team had a close contact with a covid-infected patient. Unfortunately, this means that we have to be away from our family and what’s even more terrifying is that we have to wait for our swab test results. I understand when people say that it’s hard to get locked up in your home. But, it’s even harder when you have to be locked up and be fearful of the virus because of your profession.”

Photos: Pexels.com

May 17, 2021
Funeral Directors and How They Adapt to the New Normal

In this article, we’ll be reading one funeral director’s experience of navigating through the risk of the pandemic, offering heartfelt services and coping with the pain they experience as they are the last responders of grief, loss and burden.

Nathan Streed, owner of Harvey Anderson and Johnson funeral homes usually wake up at 6 in the morning and cap the day at 5:30 in the afternoon. However, since the Covid-19 has taken so many lives from the day it started, Streed’s phone never stopped ringing.

Streed is on the edge of such circumstances as these deaths are not only beyond lonely, they’re also risky. Funeral directors such as Streed has to navigate through the processes and provider services for families that are grieving in these uncertain times.

Funerals, unlike before have taken a toll to funeral directors’ mental, physical and emotional health. These end-of-life rituals are conducted in a restricting manner, limiting physical attendants to half the building’s capacity and ensuring social distancing, hand sanitizing, and masking requirements all throughout.

What’s more, funeral directors are forced to reinvent mourning processes such as livestreaming and virtual sessions. However, this technological advancement is not always available for those who can’t afford it. This information alone makes funeral directors feel disheartened and lonely.

Mourning and accepting grieve is made easier when people gather together, share heartwarming stories, they’ll laugh, cry and eventually move on. But, with this pandemic, this is not possible. For Streed, this is a huge loss.

“As funeral director, he gives his best to help out. It’s very difficult and it’s very challenging because we have to go above and beyond our normal scope of services and be human in these times”, Streed said.

Other services are reportedly postponed until the pandemic ends. For some, it is important to be safe now and hold a remembrance event or a memorial later when everything’s okay.

However, such delay poses an incomplete mourning process. There can be moments where a family looks over and fails to accept the loss already. Some moments can be, “we’re okay with it” and others, “we still miss our beloved dearly.”

Depending on the decision of the family and the urgency for the celebration, others choose to hold a semblance of a funeral. For example, family members going for work in another state and cannot attend the event will choose to remember their departed through a memorial type funeral.

This is where funeral directors come in and offer solutions fit for the family.

May 9, 2021
What Do We Know About the New Covid-19 Variant
It seems like the world is not out-of-the-woods yet. Although we ushered in the New Year, we are all still vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus. Especially now that the World Health Organization identified a mutation of the originally terrifying virus that made everyone fear for their lives.

As the World Health Organization stated before, a virus always mutates and will change its behavior. Here are informational tidbits that you need to understand about the mutated variant of Covid-19.

Why This Particular Variant is Causing Concern?

The World Health Organization has emphasized a virus’ capability to mutate even at the start of the pandemic. Although such mutation is anticipated, several characteristics make the new Covid-19 variant a concern to the people.
- The new mutation replaces every other version of the Covid-19 virus.
- Its mutation affects the virus’s critical aspects.
- As shown in laboratory exams, the mutation affects the virus’s ability to infect cells making it potentially more dangerous.
How Fast is the New Mutation Spreading?

As per official records, the new strain of the virus was detected in September. Unfortunately, it was during November wherein 25% of the Covid-19 infections in London were of the new strain. The number went up in November, making it 2/3 of the total cases.

How Far Has the New Strain Spread?

According to reports, the new strain of Coronavirus is found all over the UK. Great concentration lies in London, eastern and Southeast England. Fortunately, there aren’t noted cases in Northern Ireland. Regarding country-to-country transmissions, there are several cases in Australia, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Are There Several Mutations Identified?

The globally-recognized mutation is identified as D614G. It is the most dominant form of Coronavirus. As per the new strain that spread across Europe, it is identified as A222V. This mutation was originally linked to people’s holidays in Spain.

Aside from these two, the World Health Organization recognizes 17 possible strains. One of those is the N501Y which was tagged as the “receptor-binding domain.” Another possible strain involves – an H69/V70 deletion.

Where New Virus Strains Do Comes From?

According to scientists, the virus is greatly mutated and that has probably emerged from a patient with a weakened immune system that was unable to beat the virus. Unfortunately, their immune-compromised body became the breeding ground for the mutation.

Can Newly-Formulated Vaccines be Effective on Virus Strains?

For now, the World Health Organization is hopeful that the vaccine will work. But, if the virus continues to produce more mutations, it can be a cause of concern.

Because there are still no vaccines being rolled out into the public and there is an alarming rate of new-strain transmissions worldwide, the best course of action lies in preventive strategies. Washing your hands frequently, physical distancing, wearing masks, and protective gear is the most reliable option.

Photos: Pexels.com
January 4, 2021
Easy Quarantine Recipes You Need to Try During Snacktime
Something about being locked inside our homes makes us all feel bored, hungry and full of angst. It’s only natural for people to search for human interaction. After all, human beings are social creatures. If you find yourself filling this need with watching TV, making Tiktok videos or playing video games, then quarantine becomes a lot easier.

As much as you’d like to munch on favorite fast-food items or call the delivery for some snacks, be careful as too much of this junk food makes you sick. To make your quarantine period more exciting and healthier, we compiled several snack recipes to replace your fast-food constants.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

Satisfy your cravings for sweetness without the burden of preservatives and sugar with this finger bars! Here’s the recipe for this sweet madness.

Ingredients
1. 1 teaspoon of ground chia seeds
2. 1 cup of rolled oats
3. ¼ cup of water
4. ½ teaspoon salt
5. 1 cup of white whole-wheat flour
6. ¼ cup of softened butter
7. ½ teaspoon baking soda
8. ½ teaspoon baking soda
9. 1 teaspoon of vanilla
10. 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
11. ¾ cup of brown sugar
12. 1 cup of chocolate chips
Steps
1. In a bowl, combine the ground chia seeds and water for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the pan with a parchment paper.
3. Process ½ cup of oats in the food processor until it is finely ground. Then, add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda until it is thoroughly combined.
4. Using a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with a mixer. Do this until the consistency of the mixture clings to the sides of the bowl. Add in the vanilla and chia mixture. Then, pour in the remaining oats and flour until it is well-mixed. Spread the dough into the baking pan.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool it and cut it into bars.
Chocolate and Peanut Crunchy-s

Peanut and chocolate go well with each other. So how about we make a snack that mixes these tasty ingredients in a cluster you can munch?

Ingredients
1. 12-ounces of vanilla-flavored candy coating (chopped)
2. 1 bag of chocolate pieces
3. 3 cups of puffed corn cereal
4. ¼ cup peanut butter
5. 1 cup salted, dry roasted peanuts
Steps
1. Using a large saucepan, mix in the chopped candy coating, peanut butter, and chocolate pieces. Heat and stir them until it is melted and smooth. Add in peanuts and cereals until it is coated.
2. Line up two trays with waxed paper. Using a teaspoon, scoop cereal mixture and drop them on the trays. Let it chill for 15 minutes.
When it comes to creating these snacks, you must keep in mind that you can get creative with the ingredients. You can add, deduct some items or experiment with the process. Sticking with these home-cooked goodies make you more healthy and at the same time, discover a new hobby for food.
August 31, 2020
Getting Eight Hours of Solid and Uninterrupted Sleep: Challenges Brought During Quarantine

The coronavirus pandemic has shaken the world by changing the social construct of our work, school and lifestyle. For quite some time, we’ve been forced inside the four walls of the house for safety measures, and this has taken a toll on one’s mental and physical health. Some of us are guilty of binge-eating while watching twelve hours of TV re-runs. Others turn into social media for some form of entertainment and anxiety-riddled scenarios.

Whatever the situations may be, the quarantine period brought these changes to our lives. Increased screen time, inactivity, frequent alcohol drinking, and abnormal meal time severely disrupted one’s sleep schedule. If you’re struggling to get some quality snooze, here’s what you can do.

Exercise and Move Your Body

The more you exercise, the more you’re body asks for sleep. Although gyms are closed, you can take advantage of the exercise resources posted on the internet to guide your movements. In fact, you can start dancing, yoga, in-house boxing, and more. One should know that the more sedentary a person gets, the more fragmented your sleep quality is. So, moving your body till you break a sweat is an excellent strategy to sleep well.

Minimize Alcohol Intake

We know how this quarantine period can urge somebody to binge-drink while watching the TV and other nonsensical activities. However, as cliché as this may seem, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Alcohol intake disrupts circadian rhythm. How does it affect your sleep? Alcohol makes you feel asleep rapidly, yet it wakes your body up instantly without getting enough sleep.

Regulate Meal Times

It can be quite tempting to order a full meal when you’re indulging yourself to a full-season of your favorite show. However, if you still call on a large pizza in the middle of the night, you’re risking your sleep quality and schedule. During those times that you’ve established a sleeping time, your body is accustomed to release melatonin two hours before you lay down. But, if you eat way too late, this throws you off your sleep routine.

Get Some Vitamin D

When it comes to establishing a healthy circadian rhythm, light is an essential matter. To cue your circadian rhythm, it needs the sunlight to trigger the cycle. When you’re someone who doesn’t greet the sun regularly, you’ll disrupt your circadian rhythm. If you want to get a good quality of sleep, envelop yourself to the warmth of the sun for a good 15-30 minutes and increase the amount of sunlight entering your home. You can do this by opening up the blinds, curtains and windows.

This quarantine period, don’t forget to take care of yourself. Manage your stress levels by exercising, eating nutritious foods and getting enough sleep. Although it is easier to fall into the trap of letting go and being glued to the sedentary life, breakaway and think of the long-term consequences. Don’t forget to keep in touch with family and friends as they can be your partners in health.

Photos: Pexels.com

August 24, 2020
Talking to Your Kids about Covid-19: Managing Stress and Expectations

This pandemic has shaken up our world. From the summer picnics to the trips to the beaches, it has been all for naught. What’s worse, our offices, schools, and institutions have been forced to a halt. With this in mind, one’s sense of security and health are being threatened.

For us adults, we have understood the gist of the pandemic. However, for our kids who may not have any idea about this current situation, it can be confusing and unbearable. So, how are we going to break this sad news to them? Follow our tips and tricks below.

Assess What They Know About the Pandemic

School’s out as early as one child can imagine. For some, this is a call to rejoice. But, for some, this isn’t as exciting as they want it to be. To measure how you’re going to approach the situation to your child, better ask them first what they know about it.

Some children would ask about it for a long, long time. In contrast, others don’t seem to be interested. If they know something about the virus, ask them, and correct them.

Provide Honesty and Reassuring Comfort

Following the child’s lead about the Covid-19 situation, answer whatever queries he may have, and answer with honesty. It is important to reiterate that all of the measures (if ever they ask about the masks, social distancing, and home quarantine) are for everyone’s safety. If they ask how everything is going to get solved, reassuringly tell them that everyone’s doing their part to make the virus go away.

Help Your Child Alleviate the Fear of Covid-19

Now’s the moment to emphasize the importance of healthy living and sanitation. To make your child feel in control and secured despite the situation, educate him about the importance of eating healthily, getting a good night’s sleep, and sanitizing their hands.

Make Their Routine Exciting and Entertaining

It can be quite a bummer to stay inside your home with no clear agenda of what to do or how to cope. Depending on your child’s age, this is an excellent time to exercise your parenting imagination and put it to the test. You can ask them to help you out on a chore, learn a new hobby with them, or watch a movie to know their preferences in multimedia arts.

Explain How They Can Make Every Family Member Safe

When you try to listen to how your kids react to the news, you’ll notice one wholehearted fact. They tend to worry more about others than themselves. They’ll ask questions of what happens if someone in the family gets infected, or what are the available options for treatment. If you know the answer, answer them with reassurance. If not, tell them honestly. In fact, you can even use the time to read articles together or to bond over something discoverable.

As a final note, every action you must do must be exercised with caution and compassion. Since kids may have a hard time understanding the pandemic and how grave the situation is, you need to understand that there’s a limit to how they react and respond to your questions and statements.

Photos: Pexels.com

July 22, 2020
What It’s Like to Suffer From Coronavirus

Since the number of cases regarding the novel coronavirus keeps on rising, we can only imagine how severe and dreadful the disease is. To give us an understanding of what happens if you’ve contracted the disease, here are real-life accounts from those who have experienced it.

Clay Bentley – Rome, Georgia

Considered as a person vulnerable to the disease, Bentley started feeling unwell on March 1 but didn’t get hospitalized until March 6. The reason for rushing into the emergency room? He couldn’t breathe, and he felt his body aching and weakening by the second that he couldn’t even stand.

After 11 days of being confined to the hospital, he was discharged by the doctors. Then, he has undergone 14-days of home quarantine in a separate room away from other family members.

Elizabeth Schneider – Washington

As the World Health Organization always reiterates, the Covid-19 exhibits flu-like symptoms. For Schneider’s case, she initially thought it was only the flu until other people that attended a party with her start contracting the flu. It was then that they were all diagnosed as positive for Covid-19.

Todd Herman – New York City

Much like Schneider’s case, Herman thought he was only recovering from flu, only to be devastated by the Covid-19. The biggest telltale of his disease was his shortness of breath. Even when he was only walking from one side of his apartment to another, he would run out of breath.

Aside from the flu-like symptoms, he would also suffer from headaches and mild fatigue. In an interview, Herman told the news, “I can see why this would be very deadly.”

Carl Goldman – Passenger of Diamond Cruise Ship

What started as a fever later accompanied shortness of breath and dry cough. Because of his situation, he was admitted into a biocontainment unit. There, doctors took good care of him. After ten days inside a biocontainment unit, Goldman was moved to a different facility to which he became part of a clinical study.

Anonymous – Scotland

For a 50-year old Scottish man, he felt fine until there was an onset of flu. As the flu worsens, he felt chills, then body pains, particularly on his legs. Since he hasn’t undergone swab testing, the symptoms developed into a cough and shortness of breath.

Because of his symptoms, he was admitted into a hospital and spent a few days in the facility. After he recovered, he took another swab test to which resulted in negative.

Final Notes

As the world continues to face the devastation of this pandemic, let us follow health protocols such as: wearing face masks, increased handwashing and sanitation, and physical distancing. Also, avoid getting out of the house if the transaction isn’t necessary to avoid contact with people.

Although it is an unfortunate situation, we must always remember to prioritize our health first. No amount can compensate for a lost life compared to temporary pleasures. Protect your family and loved ones by following health protocols at all times.

Photos: Pexels.com

July 5, 2020