The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet.
As long as people are getting infected, there is a chance that the virus will keep mutating. However, we have come a long way from how things started in 2020. Vaccination, testing, and various treatments have helped us get back to a semblance of normalcy and, most importantly, have decreased the rates of severe infection, hospitalization, and death.
With these developments, some countries, including the Philippines, have shifted to voluntary masking outdoors. Voluntary masking outdoors received mixed reactions and prompted discussions on whether the country is ready for such.
This Friday, we take that discussion further and back up various claims with science. What do we know about the new subvariants, and how do we prevent their spread? Is one type of mask more beneficial than the other? What are the likely scenarios regarding voluntary masking in the Philippines?
This Friday, November 11, from noon to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.
This next episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK,” will try to answer the questions above. Dr. Marissa M. Alejandria, Immediate Past President of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Disease and Chair of the UP Clinical Epidemiology Unit, will discuss the basic principles to keep in mind to stay protected when masking. Dr. Ralph Elvi Villalobos, leading pulmonologist of UP-PGH, and Dr. Anna Lisa T. Ong-Lim, pediatric infectious diseases specialist, will also share their views on vulnerable groups and risky behaviors in public.
The synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH.
Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.
The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community.
