Why viruses easily spread

Russel C. Villaruel

WE WERE all caught unprepared when the coronavirus spread like wildfire. One minute, we were all going through our daily routines, and the next minute, the government imposed a lockdown, stopping us on our tracks.

I guess Filipinos just have this “come what may” attitude that we did not really think that COVID-19 could affect all our lives in just one snap.

Suddenly, we were confined to our homes, prohibited from going out to avoid contracting the virus, and to prevent its further spread.

According to studies, what makes the new coronavirus so dangerous to humans is that it’s new. This means that we don’t have any way to fight it, because this is the first time that it circulated in humans.

When it enters into our system, we have no pre-existing defenses against it. Our cells don’t recognize it as dangerous, so it attacks and attacks – and we cannot defend ourselves. And then, it spreads.

That is why it is important for us to follow the health protocols set by our barangays, LGUs and the national government because this is for our own good.

A lot of people have already perished because of the virus, and more are still infected with it. If we continue to be hard-headed and not heed the call of the government, then the virus will be here for a while.

Our frontliners are also making sacrifices every day in the fight against COVID-19. We should do our parts, too, to finally flatten the curve.

--oOo-

The author is Master Teacher I at San Juan National High School, San Luis