We are starting to see the light

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.” —John Wayne

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE have actually tried to think positively even before the new year came, wishing that hopefully the pandemic won’t last long in 2022 after we spent the last two years grimacing and trying to remain mentally and emotionally intact.

But when Omicron entered the picture before 2021 bade goodbye, our worries and frustrations even grew higher.

Wherever we went and whatever we did, all we could hear and read in the news was still about Covid-19, the hike of number of cases and hospitalization. And even death.

For a while, it looked like it’s a never-ending misery, the same old horrible story being retold and experienced repeatedly.

But instead of losing hope, we must insist to continue to think positively and believe that there is still a ray of hope and good developments amid all these depressing news. 

Here’s one positive story: While case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths are still climbing rapidly in many parts of the United States, they are reportedly dropping fast in New York City, one of the first places in the country to be hit hard by Omicron.

 

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As the data trajectory in the Big Apple closely resembles that seen in South Africa and Britain, hope is reportedly rising that the good news from Johannesburg will prove to be a harbinger of better news, at least, for the United States.

Also, only eight weeks after the world first heard about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, when researchers in South Africa who discovered the strain notified global authorities, that country's wave of infections has fallen as sharply as it climbed, reported the CBS News.

Not only that, but South Africa has reportedly weathered its fourth wave of COVID-19 with very little interruption to people's lives.

In a recent report by CBS News foreign correspondent Debora Patta, “in the suburbs of Johannesburg, restaurants are busy again, traffic is jammed, and the city is bustling.”

“Omicron quickly became the focus of global anxiety as infections spread across South Africa with ferocious speed. Within days, the country was at the epicenter of the pandemic. And then… well, not much happened at all,” it was reported.

It’s too early to lower our guards down, but let’s continue to brace for more good news. 

 

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Here are some of the important questions about the coronavirus in the light of Omicron’s onslaught from Dr. Liza Maragakis of the Johns Hopkins Medicine:

If I have COVID-19, when will I feel better? Those with a mild case of COVID-19 usually recover within one to two weeks. For severe cases, recovery can take six weeks or more, and there may be lasting damage to the heart, kidneys, lungs and brain.

Is there medicine I can take to feel better if I have COVID-19?

For most people, rest and drinking plenty of fluids are the best treatments. Your doctor may also suggest you take over-the-counter medication for fever.

More severe cases require hospitalization. Hospital care may include breathing support, such as a ventilator, or other treatments.

—Does a coronavirus diagnosis mean I’ll get pneumonia? Some patients with COVID-19 develop pneumonia. Viral pneumonia, such as from COVID-19, cannot be treated with antibiotics. In severe cases, ventilator support may be needed to ensure the body is getting enough oxygen.

People over age 65 and those with certain health conditions are at a higher risk of developing pneumonia and may experience more severe cases of COVID-19. Studies show that in patients with COVID-19, pneumonia may progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can be fatal in some patients.

—Can I get COVID-19 more than once? Researchers are eager to learn more about a person’s immunity after having COVID-19. For some viruses, a person can have lasting immunity; for others, the immunity lasts only a limited time. More research will reveal how the body responds to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic.

—After COVID-19, when is it safe for me to go out in public?

Talk to your doctor. In general, you can resume contact with other people after: You have had one day without fever (without any fever-reducing medications during that time), AND It has been at least 10 days since you first experienced symptoms, AND Your symptoms are improving.

If you have a severe case of COVID-19, a suppressed immune system or other special circumstances, your doctor may recommend a longer period of isolation or further testing. If you test negative for the coronavirus twice in a row, with tests at least 24 hours apart, you can resume contact with others.

 (The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

Forgotten news

“News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.”

—Lord Northcliffe

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

CALLING some investigative journalists. 

We are increasingly worried that because of the sustained and continuous media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, all other relevant and head-turning issues in government like graft and corruption, oppression, abuse of power may have been swept under the rug if not totally forgotten.

There must also be a sustained vigilance and equal coverage of the other subject matters with compelling public interests.

News about the pandemic—how the local and national leadership painstakingly handle the campaign to vaccinate the vast majority of the population, what vaccine has arrived and will be used in the country, who are in the priority list, the protocols on wearing of mask and social distancing, etcetera—has occupied almost all the media platforms in the kind of cohesion, alacrity and dispatch never been done in the history of media reportage.

So dense and urgent may have been the reports about the statistics and data of cases and casualties in the pandemic that some watchdog organizations have even lost track of the number of those victims of summary execution in the name of campaign against illegal drugs.

Except for the tumultuous stand-off in the West Philippine Sea between David and Goliath, no other regular stories as earthshaking as the COVID-19 mayhem has cascaded in the enclaves of major media outlets for quite a long time.

 

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While the public was mired on the horror and terror brought by the pandemic and nobody was watching, some cunning and dishonest public officials may have silently emptied the cookie jars and siphoned millions of pesos.

While public attention was heavily on the pandemic, crooks and their minions in government may have laughed their way to the bank.

Before the horrifying pandemic, which has killed more than three million people worldwide as of the latest count came, stories about dishonesty and rapaciousness involving taxpayers’ money were still episodic.  

The role of the media is critical in promoting good governance and controlling corruption, as emphasized by World Bank’s Rick Stapenhurst.

It not only raises public awareness about corruption, its causes, consequences and possible remedies but also investigates and reports incidences of corruption. 

The effectiveness of the media, in turn, depends on access to information and freedom of expression, as well as a professional and ethical cadre of investigative journalists.

 

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An email from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo dated May 12, 2021, which he also shared to other New Yorkers:

Dear Alex, The COVID numbers continue to trend in the right direction. For the first time since November 15, COVID hospitalizations have dropped below 2,000. Our statewide positivity rate dropped to 1.10 percent—the lowest since October 17. On top of that, 50 percent of adult New Yorkers have completed their vaccine series. We are hitting critical milestones but we must keep up this progress in our fight against the virus.

Here's what else you need to know tonight:

1. COVID hospitalizations dropped to 1,928. Of the 165,892 tests reported yesterday, 1,830, or 1.10 percent, were positive. The 7-day average percent positivity was 1.28 percent. There were 463 patients in ICU yesterday, down 28 from the previous day. Of them, 270 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 26 New Yorkers to the virus. 

2. As of 11am this morning, 60.7 percent of adult New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 116,093 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 17,054,335 total doses with 50.0 percent of adult New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See additional data on the State's Vaccine Tracker.

3. In anticipation of Memorial Day, beaches and pools will operate with six-foot social distancing. That means more capacity for beachgoers and swimmers as we approach the summer. New York State's goal is to reopen them to 100 percent capacity by July 4.

4. Five new pop-up vaccination sites will open soon at public transit stations in the Buffalo and Niagara areas. The sites will welcome walk-ins on a first-come-first-serve basis and administer the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The NFTA will provide a free seven-day transit pass to people who get vaccinated at these sites. More details to come soon. 

5. For the first time in 105 years, fans can watch Major League Baseball in Buffalo. On June 1, the Toronto Blue Jays will play opening day at Sahlen Field (their temporary home) with a fully vaccinated fan section. Approximately 50 percent of the stadium's available seating will be used for fully vaccinated fans (who will be seated normally), with the remainder of seats designated for unvaccinated fans (who will be socially distanced). This model will allow 2,000 additional fans to enjoy games in Buffalo. Sahlen Field will also serve as a free vaccination site for anyone going to the game who wants to get the vaccine.  

Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Artist Maya Lin has set up a new art installation in New York City to raise awareness about climate change. This "Ghost Forest" installation in Madison Square Park uses barren Atlantic White Cedar trees from the Pine Barrens to demonstrate how rising sea levels affect our forests. The otherworldly exhibit will be on display until November 14. Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)

 

 

 

‘Second wave’ lashes across the American heartland

“Without equity, pandemic battles will fail. Viruses will simply recirculate, and perhaps undergo mutations or changes that render vaccines useless, passing through the unprotected populations of the planet.”

—Laurie Garrett

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE feared “second wave” of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have beckoned in the United States in the so-called “flu season” of fall.

On October 23, the United States set a daily record of over 85,000 new cases even as hospitalizations were up 40 percent, reports obtained from multiple sources, including the New York Times, said.

According to a report from the New York Times, “deaths are creeping up in several states and Poland has come close to a national lockdown.”

The latest coronavirus surge was raging across the American heartland, most acutely in the Midwest and Mountain West.

This harrowing third surge, which led to a U.S. single-day record of more than 85,000 new cases Friday, is happening less than two weeks from Election Day, which will mark the end of a campaign dominated by the pandemic and President Trump’s much-criticized response to it.

NYT said as of Friday evening, 15 states have added more cases in the past week than in any other seven-day stretch of the pandemic: Wisconsin, a battleground in the presidential election, Colorado, Kentucky, Illinois, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Montana, Arkansas, Alaska, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and North Dakota. 

And four states have added more deaths this week than in previous weeks: Wisconsin, Kentucky, South Dakota and Oklahoma.

 

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North Dakota leads the nation in coronavirus cases per capita. Illinois is averaging more than 4,100 new cases per day, up 85 percent from the average two weeks ago. 

And Pennsylvania, another battleground state, on Friday reported a record of 2,258 cases, according to the NYT.

The virus will reportedly be front of mind for voters in several key states: in Ohio, where more people are hospitalized than at any other time during the pandemic, and especially Wisconsin, home to seven of the country’s 10 metro areas with the highest numbers of recent cases. On Friday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked Gov. Tony Evers’ emergency order restricting the size of indoor gatherings to 25 percent capacity on Friday.

Experts reportedly worry that the growing numbers in need of hospital care will only get worse if cases continue to mount, especially in rural areas where medical facilities could be quickly overwhelmed.

Citing a rise in hospitalizations across the state, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced a strengthening of coronavirus restrictions in certain counties, capping gatherings at 10 people from no more than two separate households. For the third straight day, Colorado announced a new single-day cases record on Friday.

 

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Here are other developments, as reported by the NYT:

—Overnight, nearly 2,500 people were hospitalized in Illinois, the state’s top public health official, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, said in a news conference Friday afternoon. The mayor of Chicago, Lori E. Lightfoot, announced a curfew on nonessential businesses beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday.

—In the latest presidential debate on Thursday night, President Trump asserted that the virus was “going away” as he defended his management of the pandemic. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, attacked Mr. Trump’s handling, calling for much more aggressive federal action for the “dark winter” ahead.

—President Trump and many supporters blame restrictions on business activity, often imposed by Democratic governors and mayors, for prolonging the economic crisis initially caused by the virus. 

But the experience of states like Iowa, which recently set a record for patients hospitalized with Covid-19, shows the economy is far from back to normal even in Republican-led states that have imposed few business restrictions.

—Iowa was one of only a handful of states that never imposed a full stay-at-home order. 

—Restaurants, movie theaters, hair salons and bars were allowed to reopen starting in May, earlier than in most states. 

—Many businesses worry they won’t be able to make it through the winter without more help from Congress. Others have already failed.

—Defying the guidance of infectious disease experts, who say that universal masking and social distancing are essential to limiting the virus’s spread, has eroded support for both Mr. Trump and Gov. Kim Reynolds in Iowa, especially among voters over 65, normally a solid Republican constituency, according to public and private polls. Mr. Trump and Senator Joni Ernst—whose seat could play a decisive role in determining control of the Senate—are both in tight races in a state that the president easily won four years ago.

—Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, again stressed the importance of wearing masks, socially distancing, avoiding crowds and regular hand washing Friday evening in an appearance on CNN.

“It’s not going to spontaneously turn around unless we do something about it,” he said, adding “I plead with the American public to please take these things seriously.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)

 

 

 

Let’s not forget the thieves

“We have to remain vigilant and loud and stay consistently engaged with our representatives and the political process every single day, on both a macro and micro level.”

—Billy Eichner

By Alex P. Vidal

SINCE January 2020, no major news has exploded in the media about graft and corruption, among other anomalies and malfeasance that can be committed by insincere and sneaky government officials, police and the military.

Since March 2020 when the world started to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, most media reports focused entirely on the number of cases of those infected, those who survived and died, the quarantine protocol, the stranded OFWs, the violators of the social distancing rules and guidelines, the misbehaving and trigger-happy cops, etcetera.

Nothing has changed, so far.

Except for a few “guest” but not-so-earthshaking headline stories that interrupted the long saga of the deadliest virus this generation has never experienced, newspapers, TV, radio, and the Internet continue to dish stories heavily about the coronavirus pandemic.

We should not forget that no pandemic or natural and man-made disaster can stop the thieves and the thugs from preying on the wealth and assets of the government.

While we are all busy counting the dead bodies of coronavirus patients, reading the statistics of COVID-19 cases, worrying about our lost jobs and income, and waiting for the next tranche of our Social Amelioration Program (SAP) benefits, some dishonest public officials and men in uniform could be silently pulling a broad daylight heist and emptying the public coffers.

Let’s not forget to also activate and mobilize our check and balance apparatuses while, at the same time, we struggle to roll past the COVID-19.

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LET’S hope that some of the recent grisly rape-murder crimes committed while the world was agog over the vaccine for the COVID-19, had nothing to do with the latest social media craze called “Tiktok.”

Incidentally, two of the female teenagers murdered separately in Ilocos and Laguna had appeared in Tiktok videos, but the motives for their killings reportedly were a case of “crime of passion” and “vendetta.”  

Two months ago, I randomly made an appeal in a video in the social media for all parents to monitor closely the activities of their teenage daughters inside their rooms while we all stayed at home during the COVID-19-induced lockdown.   

I suggested that parents must not be too complacent and overconfident just because the minors were inside the house during the lockdown. 

This was after I noticed some of these girls dancing inappropriately and scandalously exposing their skins and sensitive parts of their bodies in the TikTok, a Chinese video-sharing social networking service that can be accessed by uploading its application.

TikTok users creat short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos. 

It is an internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming based in Beijing.

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My point was some of those girls, while gyrating and intentionally showing some explicit sexual facial expressions and soundbites, could be endangering themselves, as well as other girls their age, as sex fiends and other predators, who happen to live nearby or within their neighborhood, might be monitoring them in the Facebook, Instagram, and other platform.

Seventy percent of rape victims were reportedly known or familiar to their attackers. 

Only a few percent of rape cases occurred randomly or those who were attacked for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it was reported.

Statistics show that more than half or 51.1% of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance.

As for male victims, more than half or 52.4% reported being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% by a stranger.

The self-reported incidence of rape or sexual assault more than doubled from 1.4 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2017 to 2.7 in 2018.

Based on data from the survey, it is estimated that 734,630 people were raped (threatened, attempted, or completed) in the United States in 2018.

Despite the increase in self-reports of rape and sexual assault, there was a decrease in reporting to police from 2017 to 2018. 

Forty-percent (40%) of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to police in 2017, but only about 25% were reported to police in 2018, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Smorgasbord of news

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”

—Fred Rogers

By Alex P. Vidal

THERE have only been three issues that “interrupted” the daily news headline dominated by coronavirus these past four months: the blackout in Iloilo City, the shifty “close-open” Angelicum School Iloilo ruckus, and the reported filing of double murder cases by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Region 6 against several cops involved in the twin killings in January this year.

Headline stories changed each time there were events of power interruptions or reports of looming blackout; and when there were major progress in the Muller-Britanico twin slay.

Blackouts were a prominent story because critics of MORE Power wanted the neophyte electric firm held accountable for the “habitual” power interruptions.

Breakthroughs in the Muller-Britanico double killings were important headline story because Ilonggos who follow the latest about the investigation want immediate justice for the victims.   

News of the sudden announcement of Angelicum School Iloilo’s “closure” elbowed its way to the headline only to die abruptly after it became a dud.  

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Since March when COVID-19 started its murderous rampage, all that we read in the newspapers, seen on primetime TV, and heard on AM radios were news about coronavirus—its destruction to the human life and the global economy.

There has never been a sustained, extended, and protracted reportage of a single event in history other than about the coronavirus in 2020 and the World War II 75 years ago.

Even after the actual combat, post-World War II stories continued to dominate the news media in the 1940s, especially during the reconstruction and repatriation.

Even if COVID-19 cases will decline before December this year, major papers and the electronic media are expected to continue giving emphasis and importance to the post-COVID-19 stories, especially on the search for the pandemic’s vaccine.

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There were instances these past weeks when the debates had shifted from the coronavirus to controversial political issues like Manny Pacquiao’s presidential ambition, the ongoing struggle of the ABS-CBN to obtain a new franchise, the passage of the hotly debated anti-terror bill, China’s non-stop but “silent” incursion on our natural resources and territorial soils, and, recently, the furor about Sharon Cuneta’s youngest daughter engaging in an on-line debate why women are being raped—and the alleged “threat” by a netizen to rape the daughter.

But, after a while, like a pendulum, news would be back again to coronavirus—especially when the policy and guidelines on the quarantine and social distancing had been violated by those who should be the ones to enforce the law.

COVID-19 is a compact subject matter. 

Media can tackle stacks of stories about the pandemic: heroism of the front liners, the infected and dislocated OFWs, how the government is solving the social amelioration program (SAP) “shortage” or how it is lowering the boom on corrupt DOH test kit facilitators, DSWD and village officials in charge of SAP distribution; how certain local governments flatten the curve, etcetera. 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)