Dr Minguita Padilla, medical team leader at Project ARK, gives us the lowdown on what we should know about the different kinds of tests available in the Philippines
Manila has been under enhanced community quarantine for nearly two months. In a pre-COVID world, that would have been nearly unthinkable. But now, it’s a necessity — a “new normal” that has been thrust upon people to accept.
The key out of it? Testing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed the importance of mass testing in the fight to flatten the curve. One of the organisations at the helm of this movement is Project ARK, a private sector-led initiative that aims to introduce rapid antibody testing to companies and barangays in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Today, Dr Minguita Padilla, ophthalmologist and head of the medical team at Project ARK, tells us about what there is to know about COVID-19 testing right now.
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What parts of the body does COVID-19 affect?
There is still so much scientists don’t know about COVID-19. What we know about it today can be disputed or reinforced tomorrow. But as of today, we know that COVID-19 doesn’t just affect the lungs. In some cases, it can affect other parts of the body including the eyes, the heart, the liver, the kidneys, and the intestines.
Currently, the WHO has released more symptoms for COVID-19. The full list includes fever, dry cough, and tiredness. They have also added aches and pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhoea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discolouration of fingers or toes to the list.
Was the lockdown necessary?
Lockdown was definitely necessary. Without it, the number of infections would have grown exponentially. One person has the ability to infect three other people, and each of those three individuals could infect another three.