Infectious Diseases

On Tuesday (March 8), The Department of Health (DOH) released a statement about the recommendation of a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot or a second booster shot for seniors and other moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals to have better protection against the virus.  This consideration stems from a “decrease in antibody titers seen in studies and their […]

Bird flu is back in the Philippines. The Department of Agriculture (DA) reports that bird flu or avian influenza was detected in some duck and quail farms. They supposedly got rid of the disease more than a year ago. This is the H5N1 bird flu strain of avian influenza. The H5N6 strain was prevalent in […]

A controversial drug that can supposedly treat COVID-19 is back in the headlines. A Malaysian study using ivermectin on patients with COVID-19 proves ivermectin ineffective. The study enrolled 490 patients with mild to moderate illness at 20 hospitals and a COVID-19 quarantine center in Malaysia. Ivermectin was in the news last year when some politicians […]

The longest-reigning monarch in the world came face-to-face with the coronavirus. Headlines stated Queen Elizabeth II is positive for COVID-19 mere weeks after celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. She celebrated 70 years of being queen on February 6, the first British Monarch to achieve that milestone. The queen’s popularity worldwide saw messages of shock, concern, and […]

A total of 17 cases of the more transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 were logged in Zamboanga City. Omicron is already the dominant COVID-19 strain worldwide. Philippine COVID numbers as a whole have been trending downward after reaching alarming highs in January. A continuous rollout of vaccines outside of Metro Manila will ideally keep COVID […]

Global COVID cases have surpassed 400 million two years into the global pandemic. A Reuters tally notes that the highly contagious Omicron variant is now the dominant strain. Health systems in several countries have been pushed to the brink trying to cope with the Omicron onslaught. Omicron accounts for almost all new cases reported daily. […]

The current formulation of the Moderna vaccine provides adequate protection against the Omicron variant. A study published in February 2022 shows how effective Moderna is against the original Wuhan strain and the SARS-CoV2 Omicron variant. This means the regular Moderna vaccine as a booster and the Omicron-specific Moderna shot offer nearly the same level of antibody […]

Considering that children can now get immunized from the virus, many parents worry about possible side effects. This article shares more information about what is MIS-C and why it is tagged in the discussion of COVID-19 vaccinations in children.  https://hellodoctor.com.ph/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/covid-guidelines/ What is MIS-C? Multiple Inflammatory Syndrome in children, popularly known as MIS-C, refers to a rare complication of […]

Females might have a better chance to battle against COVID-19 and a few studies have been conducted on this theory for the past two years. A new study from Sweden, however, reveals that the female hormone protects against death from the coronavirus. It observed that among their study population, 14,685 post-menopausal women and had positive […]