How Sen. Migz triumphed over COVID-19
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first public official to stand up and bravely say he tested positive with COVID-19 was Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri. His announcement was a wake-up call to most of us that COVID-19 is real, that it can hit any of us when exposed to a COVID-19 carrier, and that social distancing and strict home quarantine is a must.
Zubiri’s wife, Audrey, made sure she would be the one to prepare the senator’s food while he was under quarantine at home. On taking care of herself and her kids during this time, she shares, “I tried to give the children a semblance of normalcy by creating a simple routine. Our routine included reading, creative and sunlight time, a (loosely) fixed meal, sleeping and waking times. Our highlight is a daily 6 p.m. family rosary Zoom session with our community, led by our school chaplain, which was followed by an online Mass.”
Zubiri appeals to the public to stay home. “I can’t emphasize enough that we must all stay home and quarantine ourselves from this deadly virus. The lives of our people, most especially of our frontliners, depend on it. That is the only way we can stop the spread of the virus.”
Read on as Sen. Migz Zubiri shares how he coped and dealt with the deadly virus.
1.Having the right mindset. This is the first thing anyone should do once he or she is tested positive. Adopt a mindset of winning and beating the virus in your body. Your survival instincts will set in, and this is strengthened by the positive attitude that you have in dealing with this situation.
2. Isolation is key to stopping the contamination. Once you suspect that you might have the virus or were exposed to it, then isolate yourself from other people immediately. This way, you can protect others, most especially the vulnerable and those who you love. I would never be able to forgive myself if I hurt the ones I love by exposing them to the virus.
3. Reaching out to medical experts on how to best treat the symptoms through phone calls and video calls. Thankfully, I have friends and relatives who are doctors and they gave me much needed medical advice. I called them right away upon learning of my test results. For those who have no direct contacts, there are hotlines like the Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline 1555 and Red Cross COVID Hotline 1158.
4. Monitoring the symptoms. Although my symptoms were mild, nevertheless I still had them. It started with fatigue, then a fever with body aches, which I was able to treat with the medication recommended by the doctors I consulted with. If it had become severe, like chest congestion, high fever, difficulty in breathing, and uncontrollable coughing, then I would have had to go to the hospital. Monitoring the severity of your symptoms is important.
5. Treating the symptoms. As soon as I felt warm and started experiencing fever, chills and night sweats, I drank 1,000 mg. of paracetamol every six hours and was able to control it after a few days. I drank mucolytics to help me with my cough and phlegm as well.
6. Gargling all the time. I credit this for preventing the virus from reaching my lungs. Every few hours, I would gargle with hot water mixed with salt, as well as gargle with Bactidol.
7. Drinking lots of ginger green tea. I would drink a mixture of green tea and ginger almost always to soothe my throat, as soon as I wake up and until I go to sleep. According to some experts, this helps kill the coronavirus lingering in your mouth and throat.
8. Boosting one’s immune system. I drank over 2,000 mg. of Vitamin C, as well as Zinc, every day. There are supplements that you can get that have this combination. I drank 200 mg. of CoQ10 antioxidants as well. Don’t forget your daily dose of Vitamin D, which is free by going under the morning sun.
9. Taking care of one’s mental health through good vibes and prayer. It’s no joke being isolated for a long period of time. In my case, it was for 36 days as I had to follow strict protocols for COVID-positive patients. There is the mandatory 21 days for treatment of the symptoms then the 14 days between the first and second negative results. When watching movies, stick to those with positive themes and avoid the depressing ones. What strengthened me most was the power of prayer. I pray daily and say the rosary at night.
10. Following the quarantine protocol, and staying at home. You may sometimes want to break the strict quarantine protocols and leave the room, play with the kids or walk around. If you love your family and the people around you, PLEASE DON’T DO IT! Even when you are cleared, please stay home and be part of the solution.
(We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)
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