Corona Virus

[Joey G]

31 minutes ago, "P2" said:

Without reading all 28 pages of this thread..... 

My wife and I are planning a 2 week trip there in a couple of months and I am wondering what impact the Coronavirus has had there in the Philippines? Are there a lot of confirmed cases? I'm a little nervous about going there since all of the connecting flights from the U.S. land in either China, Korea or Japan. Just trying to weigh the risks. Can you toss a little advice my way....? Thanks!

As far as the traveling part... last flights we took were from the east coast on Qatar Airways... one stop in Doha... prices weren't bad... we actually flew from JFK and returned to Dulles.  Our stop in Doha was long enough to spend the night there between flights... pretty interesting place.

[Tommy T.]

6 hours ago, "P2" said:

Without reading all 28 pages of this thread..... 

My wife and I are planning a 2 week trip there in a couple of months and I am wondering what impact the Coronavirus has had there in the Philippines? Are there a lot of confirmed cases? I'm a little nervous about going there since all of the connecting flights from the U.S. land in either China, Korea or Japan. Just trying to weigh the risks. Can you toss a little advice my way....? Thanks!

There is little actual impact here in Davao...so far. Lots of press and talk talk talk about it, but only a few cases scattered in Manila and Bohol and maybe a few other places far afield that I have heard or read about.

However, were it me, I would simply wait until this all goes away. Why take a risk when you are currently safe and secure, wherever you are? The Philippines will still be here next year and onward in case your plans don't work out this time.

Hopefully this will all be done in less than your couple of months timeline, but I also understand you are maybe getting online deals or just planning ahead for your flight bookings...

Edited February 22, 2020 by Tommy T.

[RBM]

2 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

There is little actual impact here in Davao...so far. Lots of press and talk talk talk about it, but only a few cases scattered in Manila and Bohol and maybe a few other places far afield that I have heard or read about.

However, were it me, I would simply wait until this all goes away. Why take a risk when you are currently safe and secure, wherever you are? The Philippines will still be here next year and onward in case your plans don't work out this time.

Consider this very good advice, we also are limiting all travel for this period.

My main concern is what are the number of undetected cases here, knowing very well how haphazard some of the testing will be its my opinion there are a considerably number of positive people out there whom have not been tested.

[Dave Hounddriver]

7 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

So far, the Philippines has been faring well with only 3 confirmed cases

I take it with a grain of salt and an attitude of negativity.  The Chinese have been accused of underestimating their virus cases.  I have no faith that the Philippine reporting system is any better.

Here in Dumaguete there was a local news report of a foreigner and his filipina wife who recently arrived from Wuhan, China, and then travelled around Bohol and Siquijor before landing in the Provincial Hospital with flu like symptoms.  There was later "good news" released that they did not have the virus.  Me?  I have my doubts and I am in a hurry to get out of here to a country that monitors symptoms like that more closely.  

Each to their own.

[OnMyWay]

6 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I take it with a grain of salt

Yes, I do too, but I go with what I got until some better info comes along.

7 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

attitude of negativity

 

7 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I have my doubts and I am in a hurry to get out of here to a country that monitors symptoms like that more closely. 

Sounds like it is time to go Dave.

Actually I would move my family to the U.S. if I could swing it financially.  However, the U.S. is so F**ked up now on medical costs and some other costs, there is no way I can do it, even though my income is decent.  We would have to live like paupers.

[Heeb]

On 2/14/2020 at 6:06 AM, OnMyWay said:

 

The weather here has been causing lots of coughing, so wearing of masks is a good thing for some people.  The weather is very dry and windy, causing the air to be full of dust and pollen from the forest.  We have a big expressway construction project nearby and that is making it worse.  When I head down the hill in the morning at 0715 to drop my daughter at school, there is a brown dusty haze over the bay.

 

I was actually thinking about posting a question about allergens here in the P.I. I've had a few colds since arrival but since I've recovered I'm having the worst drainage, sneezing and eye watering symptoms I've ever experienced, we live right on the top of the jungle canopy and I was wondering if there's something out there that I'm allergic to and if it was just this time of year, I don't think I could handle this for too long. I never had this problem in the Navy but back then I didn't have allergies.

[Old55]

2 hours ago, Heeb said:

I was actually thinking about posting a question about allergens here in the P.I. I've had a few colds since arrival but since I've recovered I'm having the worst drainage, sneezing and eye watering symptoms I've ever experienced, we live right on the top of the jungle canopy and I was wondering if there's something out there that I'm allergic to and if it was just this time of year, I don't think I could handle this for too long. I never had this problem in the Navy but back then I didn't have allergies.

See a Doctor. Could be a sinus infection or an allergy or something else causing those symptoms. Any recent environmental changes in or near your household? New pet or cleaner or paint or?

Edited February 22, 2020 by Old55

[OnMyWay]

32 minutes ago, Old55 said:

See a Doctor. Could be a sinus infection or an allergy or something else causing those symptoms. Any recent environmental changes in or near your household? New pet or cleaner or paint or?

There is an allergist at Medical City Clark.  I've thought about going.  Same issue as Heeb. 

2 hours ago, Heeb said:

I was actually thinking about posting a question about allergens here in the P.I. I've had a few colds since arrival but since I've recovered I'm having the worst drainage, sneezing and eye watering symptoms I've ever experienced, we live right on the top of the jungle canopy and I was wondering if there's something out there that I'm allergic to and if it was just this time of year, I don't think I could handle this for too long. I never had this problem in the Navy but back then I didn't have allergies.

The worst trees are the ones that drop that yellow dust and then it has been so dry and windy, it is hard to avoid.  Are you taking anything?  I was recommended to take Cetirizine (Zyrtec in the U.S.)

[Heeb]

10 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

There is an allergist at Medical City Clark.  I've thought about going.  Same issue as Heeb. 

The worst trees are the ones that drop that yellow dust and then it has been so dry and windy, it is hard to avoid.  Are you taking anything?  I was recommended to take Cetirizine (Zyrtec in the U.S.)

I am taking Cetirizine, it helps a little, I wonder if there's another that I can rotate in.

[Heeb]

10 hours ago, Old55 said:

See a Doctor. Could be a sinus infection or an allergy or something else causing those symptoms. Any recent environmental changes in or near your household? New pet or cleaner or paint or?

We did get another Shih tzu but I think it's in the air, when the wind blows through the screen doors it gets really bad, It's just strikingly worse than anything I've ever experienced before with allergies. I don't think it's a sinus infection because I'm an old pro at that unfortunately, I had surgery in the Navy after I developed sinus problems which I think were caused by the Mt. Pinatubo lahar, I had surgery again in 2011after antibiotics failed to clear my sinus cavities. When I get a sinus infection everything starts to smell like nicotine, very strange and I get disoriented and my body feels like I'm lugging an extra 50lbs, when I notice the signals I break out the neti pot right away, it's been very effective for me. I think maybe my immune system is compromised, I went to Baypointe clinic here in Subic and I just couldn't deal with the whole process and waiting line, I don't think a doctor was even in the house yet, very discouraging. I have to say though it's not much better stateside as far as that goes, it takes about a month to get an appointment at an MTF when you're a retiree and the line at the acute clinics are usually long, at least the waiting room is usually nice compared to the standing room only hospital hallway here, if you're lucky you get a hard ass seat that's about 12inches off the ground.