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MANILA, Philippines - With no new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases reported among Filipinos living abroad, the total number of infections is still 10,549, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

In its updated tally posted Sunday on Twitter, the DFA noted that of the total cases, 3,006 are still undergoing treatment at various health centers.

Meanwhile, the total number of deaths due to the respiratory disease remains at 793 after the DFA recorded no additional deaths among Filipinos abroad.

The total number of COVID-19 recoveries among Filipinos abroad also remains at 6,750 with no new recoveries, the DFA said.

/MUF

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DFA: No new COVID-19 cases, deaths and recoveries among Filipinos abroad

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MANILA, Philippines - With no new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases reported among Filipinos living abroad, the total number of infections is still 10,549, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. In its updated tally posted Sunday on Twitter, the DFA noted that of the total cases, 3,006 are still undergoing treatment at various health centers.

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Over 2,600 more coronavirus cases raised the overall count in the Philippines above 316,000 on Friday, putting it among the top 20 worst-hit countries in the world.

A total of 2,611 infections were recorded in the Philippines over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 316,678, according to the Department of Health.

At least 56 more COVID-19 patients died in the country, raising the death toll to 5,616, while recoveries increased by 416 to reach 254,617.

There are 56,445 active cases in the country, the department said.

Meanwhile, the case count in the southern autonomous Bangsamoro region climbed to 1,176, according to regional authorities.

At least 46 patients have died in the Muslim-majority region, while the number of active cases stands at 240.

The Philippines, which has the most COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia, has enforced one of the longest virus lockdowns anywhere in the world.

Despite the rising cases, Maria Rosario Vergeire, the country's health undersecretary, said things "have improved" over the past few months.

"[...] This ranking across the globe, this would be because the totality of number of cases. But when we look at our active cases, recovery rate, our case fatality rate and our health system capacity, we see that we have improved," she was quoted as saying by daily The Philippine Star.

The Filipino economy has also suffered heavily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now claimed over 1.02 million lives around the world.

According to the World Bank, the country's economy may contract by 6.9% in 2020.

"Growth is now projected to significantly decelerate this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, including through the slowdown in trade, investment, tourism, remittances, and social distancing - including the associated community quarantine," the bank said in a recent overview.

It said the Philippines' economic growth is expected to rebound by 5.3% to 5.6% in 2021-2022 as "global conditions improve, and with more robust domestic activity bolstered by the public investment momentum and a boost from 2022 election-related spending."

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.

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Philippines virus tally now among world's top 20

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Over 2,600 more coronavirus cases raised the overall count in the Philippines above 316,000 on Friday, putting it among the top 20 worst-hit countries in the world. A total of 2,611 infections were recorded in the Philippines over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 316,678, according to the Department of Health.

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Inhaling smoke for a short time can cause immediate (acute) effects. ... Smoke is irritating to the eyes, nose, and throat, and its odor may be nauseating. Studies have shown that some people exposed to heavy smoke have temporary changes in lung function, which makes breathing more difficult.

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drinking and driving should be avoided at all cost

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Take a deep breathe, exhale and repeat.

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Especially now that we are in the middle of a pandemic.

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Regular physical activity and exercise improves quality of life, whether you are healthy or you have a lung condition. Many people associate keeping fit with maintaining a healthy heart, losing weight and reducing the risk of illnesses such as diabetes, but exercise also helps keep lungs healthy

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Minimize close contact with persons who have symptoms of respiratory illness, such as coughing or sneezing.

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A new post-mortem study of patients who have died from COVID-19 found severe damage to the lungs and signs of blood clotting in major organs.

Ten post-mortem examinations performed on patients with confirmed COVID-19 found that all patients had lung injuries and early scarring of the lungs as a result of the virus, as well as injury to their kidneys. Nine patients also had thrombosis -- a blood clot- in at least one major organ (heart, lung or kidney). The team were unable to investigate thrombosis in the tenth patient.

The research team behind the study believe that the findings could help guide clinicians on treating complications as a result of COVID-19, such as using blood thinners to prevent blood clots from developing. They also hope that better understanding of the key complications in severe cases could help clinicians develop new ways to monitor and treat the disease.

The study, published in The Lancet Microbe, was led by researchers at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Although the numbers of patients examined is small, this is the largest study to date of post-mortem examinations on COVID-19 patients in England.

Dr Michael Osborn, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London, Consultant Pathologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and co-author of the study, said: "COVID-19 is a new disease and we have only had limited opportunities to comprehensively analyse tissues from patients at autopsy, to better understand what caused a patient's illness and death for research purposes. Our study is the first of its kind in the country to support existing theories from researchers and doctors on the wards that lung injuries, thrombosis and immune cell depletion are the most prominent features in severe cases of COVID-19. In the patients we looked at, we also saw evidence of kidney injuries and in some cases pancreatitis and these with our other findings will help clinicians develop new strategies to manage patients. ??"Autopsy based analysis of COVID-19 for research is vital to learn more of this disease as the pandemic develops. We are extremely grateful to those who consented to this research and appreciate the advancement of medical science their generosity will bring.

As a result of our work, we have worked with colleagues at the Royal College of Pathologists to produce national guidelines for autopsies in COVID-19 patients and in anticipation of a possible second wave of cases we have put systems in place to rapidly facilitate further studies in the future and so further our understanding on the nature and cause of the disease, which we hope would lead to more effective treatments and fewer deaths."

Dr Brian Hanley, from the Department of Cellular Pathology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and co-author of the study, added:

"The UK has sadly had a large number of deaths related to COVID-19. The search for effective treatments will rely on an understanding of how the disease affects the body. The post-mortem examination is vital in this respect. The findings in this study support research from other autopsy groups worldwide and in the UK that describe the structural damage to organs caused by COVID-19. It also documents several unexpected complications. This increased understanding of COVID-19 can help clinical teams with the management of severe cases and also to monitor and treat further complications as a result of the disease."

During the lockdown period researchers nationally had very limited opportunities to carry out post mortem examinations for research purposes on patients who died from the disease. The team wanted to see whether they can glean new insights on how the virus infects the cells of the body by studying tissue samples from patients who died as a result of severe COVID-19.

The team performed full post-mortem examinations and biopsies on ten patients aged 22-97 at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust hospitals during March-June. Full consent for post mortem with widespread tissue sampling and use of the tissue for research was sought from the relatives and friends of the deceased in line with national protocols. Seven of the patients were men and four were women. Six of the patients were from a BAME background and four patients were white.

In the patients studied, high blood pressure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties -- were the most common contributing factors to death. All patients developed a fever and had at least two respiratory symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath during the early stages of the disease. Most patients died within three weeks of presenting with symptoms and treatments varied across the cohort.

The study team also reported six main findings:

All patients had diffuse alveolar damage (DAD). DAD is a term used to describe a pattern of lung injury which can be seen as a result of viral infection. This type of lung injury can affect both gas exchange (oxygen and carbon dioxide) and blood flood in the lungs.

All patients fully assessed Nine of the ten patients had some form of thrombosis- blood clot -- in at least one major organ (it was not possible to investigate thrombosis in the tenth patient). Thrombosis prevents blood from flowing normally through the circulatory system and can lead to strokes and heart attacks. The researchers found thrombi in the lungs of eight patients, the heart of five patients and the kidneys of four patients. They believe that this supports the theory that COVID-19 causes circulatory complications and that patient treatment could be augmented with blood thinning medication to prevent blood clots

All patients had evidence of acute renal tubular injury -- a kidney injury that can lead to kidney failure or damage. The main causes are low blood flow to the kidneys and severe infections. It often affects patients who are in hospital and intensive care units

T-Lymphocyte Depletion (TLD) in the spleen and the lymph nodes was another consistent finding. T-lymphocytes (white blood cells) are a major component of the immune system and play a role in destroying infections. TLD is a reduction in T-lymphocytes, which alters the immune system and its response. Haemophagocytosis is another consistent finding in this group, which occurs when the immune system overreacts to an infection and destroys some of its own cells

The researchers found evidence of acute pancreatitis in two of the patients. Acute pancreatitis is a condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed. It can be treated with fluids into the veins but in some cases can develop into serious complications and cause organ failure. Damage to the pancreas in COVID-19 patients has not been reported before but it is not clear in this study whether the pancreatitis was related to COVID-19 infection or other causes

The researchers also found evidence of a rare fungal infection, in one of the patients, called Mucormycosis. Mucormycosis is an infection that may spread through the bloodstream to affect another part of the body. Severe infections can involve the lungs, brain and other organs including the kidneys, spleen and heart.

The team is working with a range of research groups both nationally and internationally to perform more detailed analyses of these tissues and is hoping that this research will expand to include a wider range of patients.

The study was funded by NIHR Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

Journal Reference:

Brian Hanley, Kikkeri N Naresh, Candice Roufosse, Andrew G Nicholson, Justin Weir, Graham S Cooke, Mark Thursz, Pinelopi Manousou, Richard Corbett, Robert Goldin, Safa Al-Sarraj, Alireza Abdolrasouli, Olivia C Swann, Laury Baillon, Rebecca Penn, Wendy S Barclay, Patrizia Viola, Michael Osborn. Histopathological findings and viral tropism in UK patients with severe fatal COVID-19: a post-mortem study. The Lancet Microbe, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(20)30115-4

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today's healthcare; patient education and counseling; copd; heart disease; diseases and conditions; blood clots; lung disease; wounds and healing

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Blood clots and lung injuries found in patients who have died of COVID-19

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A new post-mortem study of patients who have died from COVID-19 found severe damage to the lungs and signs of blood clotting in major organs. Ten post-mortem examinations performed on patients with confirmed COVID-19 found that all patients had lung injuries and early scarring of the lungs as a result of the virus, as well as injury to their kidneys.

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Philippines COVID-19 Corona Tracker: The only independent World Health Organization (WHO) recognized one stop platform for verified data and news.

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Breathing secondhand smoke interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of having a heart attack.

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Breathing secondhand smoke interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of having a heart attack.

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Secondhand smoke causes nearly 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers

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Other than smoking, risk factors of COPD include: air pollution, secondhand smoke, occupational dusts and chemicals, genetics and socioeconomic status.

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Smokers increase their risk of lung disease, including lung cancer. But they also increase their risk of other illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and mouth (oral) cancer.

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About 8% of kids under age 18 are current tobacco users.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diseases caused by smoking kill more than 480,000 people in the U.S. each year. In fact, smoking is directly responsible for almost 90% of lung cancer and COPD deaths.

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Grade school and high school students in the Philippines began classes at home Monday after the coronavirus pandemic forced remote-learning onto an educational system already struggling to fund schools.

The shift to distance learning has been a logistical nightmare for the poverty-stricken Southeast Asian country that has long lacked enough classrooms, teachers and educational equipment. Nearly 25 million students enrolled this year, mostly in 47,000 public schools nationwide that would have to be replicated in homes and enlist the help of parents and guardians as co-teachers.

A majority of families, especially from poor and rural communities, opted to use government-provided digital or printed learning materials or "modules," which students will read at home with the guidance of their elders before carrying out specified activities. Most lack computers and reliable internet connections. Teachers can answer questions by telephone.

Other families preferred for their children to get lessons online or through regional radio and TV educational broadcasts.

"The system may not be perfect and there may be issues as we shift to flexible learning ... but we are confident that the Department of Education would address these challenges," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

The students have been out of school since classes were suspended in mid-March.

President Rodrigo Duterte has said classes should resume only when a COVID-19 vaccine has been made available, fearing classrooms could become infection hotspots.

The Philippines has reported more than 322,400 infections, the highest in Southeast Asia, with more than 5,700 deaths.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

- Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he will self-quarantine after a Cabinet minister he was in contact with tested positive for the coronavirus. Muhyiddin chaired an Oct. 3 meeting attended by Religious Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who confirmed Monday he has been hospitalized for treatment. Cases in the country have soared in recent days, hitting a record high of 432 new cases on Monday. Muhyiddin said he tested negative for the virus in the past three weeks, after returning from campaigning in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, which is a hotspot zone. But he said in a statement he will observe the quarantine and work from home until Oct. 16. All those at the meeting will also self-isolate. Local reports said the attendees included several ministers, the national police chief, the armed forces chief and the health director-general.

- Chinese tourists took 425 million domestic trips in the first half of the eight-day National Day holiday, generating $45.9 billion in tourism revenue, according to China's ministry of culture and tourism. The holiday this year, which coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, will be a litmus test of whether China's tourism industry can bounce back after being battered by COVID-19. Now, local governments across China are offering travel subsidies to domestic tourists, and over 1,000 tourist attractions are offering free admission or discounted tickets to visitors. The travel rush comes after China has reported no new locally transmitted coronavirus infections since mid-August.

- Sri Lankan authorities closed a university and imposed restrictions on buses and trains on Monday, a day after a COVID-19 patient was reported from the community for the first time in two months. A curfew was imposed Sunday in the Colombo suburbs where the patient lived, and about 15 hospital staff and 40 co-workers have been quarantined. The state-run University of Kelaniya in the area was also closed down for a week starting from Monday. Buses and trains must transport passengers according to the number of seats, and commuters must wear masks. Schools countrywide have been closed down. For more than two months, health officials have been saying that they have prevented the community spread of the virus. The country has reported 3,388 confirmed cases, including 13 deaths. Of the total, 3,254 have recovered.

- India registered 74,442 new coronavirus cases, driving the country's tally to 6.6 million. The Health Ministry on Monday also reported 903 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities to 102,685. India, the second worst-affected nation in the world after the United States, is witnessing a sustained decline in new coronavirus infections and active virus cases have remained below the million mark for 14 consecutive days. It still is registering the highest number of daily cases globally and is soon expected to cross the U.S. which has 7.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases.

- South Korea reported 73 new cases of the coronavirus, although officials worry of a potential rise after the five-day holiday period that ended Sunday. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a virus briefing Monday urged people who experience fever or other symptoms after traveling during the holiday to get tested immediately. A recent decline in new infections may be related to fewer tests being conducted during the Chuseok harvest holiday. The updated figures by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency brought the caseload to 24,164, including 422 deaths. The newest cluster in the capital region is an army unit in Pocheon, where more than 30 troops have tested positive.

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Asia Today: Remote learning begins in virus-hit Philippines

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Grade school and high school students in the Philippines began classes at home Monday after the coronavirus pandemic forced remote-learning onto an educational system already struggling to fund schools. The shift to distance learning has been a logistical nightmare for the poverty-stricken Southeast Asian country that has long lacked enough classrooms, teachers and educational equipment.

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Pleural effusion is a collection of fluid between the lung and the chest wall in what’s called the pleural space. The fluid can collect for a variety of reasons, including pneumonia, cancer or congestive heart failure.

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With the ability to develop in any part of the lungs, this cancer is difficult to detect. Most often, the cancer develops in the main part of the lungs near the air sacs. DNA mutations in the lungs cause irregular cells to multiply and create an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, or a tumor. These tumors interfere with the regular functions of the lungs.

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Pneumonia is a common lung disease caused by an infection in the air sacs in the lungs. The infections can be bacterial, viral or fungal. Most people can recover in one to three weeks, but for certain people, pneumonia can be extremely serious and even life-threatening

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Emphysema is a serious respiratory disease, which is another form of COPD. The most common cause is smoking. Those who suffer from emphysema have trouble exhaling air from their lungs.

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is an umbrella term that encompasses several respiratory illnesses that cause breathlessness, or the inability to exhale normally. People usually experience symptoms, including shortness of breath, and normally cough up sputum (mucus from the lungs), especially in the morning. COPD can be tricky for some people to identify, because symptoms are often mistaken for the gradual aging process and body deterioration. In fact, COPD can develop over the course of several years without any signs of shortness of breath. For that reason, Dr. Meyer says COPD often goes undetected for far too long. He says the disease usually begins while people are in their 30s or 40s and then peaks during their 50s, 60s and 70s.

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Asthma is defined as a common, chronic respiratory condition that causes difficulty breathing due to inflammation of the airways. Asthma symptoms include dry cough, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Dr. Meyer says there is a major connection between environmental allergies and asthma. Allergic reactions, infections and pollution can all trigger an asthma attack.

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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) - World Health Organization

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Information on COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.

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Drinking and driving should be avoided at all cost.

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The United States, particularly the western region, is experiencing havoc as wildfires are raging across multiple states. As a result, residents experience plummeting air quality.

Now, health experts worry that the lowered air quality and the smoke produced by the wildfires may increase the risk of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread, especially among firefighters who are working to stop the fire.

The smoke the firefighters are breathing is heightening their risk of contracting the new coronavirus, with potentially life-threatening effects. Further, fighting the huge fires may make infection control measures such as hand washing and social distancing, challenging to perform.

Air pollution and health

An environmental toxicologist and an assistant professor of Community and Environmental Health, Boise State University, Luke Montrose, explained the detrimental effects of air pollution, particularly the smoke from wildfires, on health amid the coronavirus pandemic in an article published on the website The Conversation.

He noted that the combination of high temperatures and increased levels of particles from a fire could negatively impact lung health. If a person has lung damage or respiratory illness, even moderate levels of smoke particulate can worsen respiratory problems.

"That's only the start of the story of how wildfire smoke affects humans who breathe it. The rest, and how to stay healthy, is important to understand as the western wildfire season picks up," he explained.

Wildfire smoke contents depend on some factors such as what material is burning and the distance between the smoke and the person breathing it. The more distance the smoke travels, the more it ages and becomes toxic. The sun and other chemicals may affect the smoke contents as it travels.

Smoke from wildfires contains thousands of compounds, including toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and carbon dioxide. However, the particulate matter that is less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) in diameter, which is about 50 times smaller than the grain of sand, is more dangerous since it can enter the lungs and penetrate the alveoli, which are responsible for gas exchange.

What does smoke do to the body?

According to Montrose, the human body has its defense mechanisms against particles that are bigger than PM2.5. The body coughs it out or sneeze when these particles attempt to enter the airways. However, particles smaller than 2.5 can bypass these defense mechanisms and travel deep in the lungs.

When foreign particles enter the lungs, the immune system sends out macrophages in an attempt to remove them. Previous studies have shown that persistent and repeated exposure to increased levels of wood smoke can suppress the function of macrophages, increasing the risk of lung inflammation.

Lung inflammation may predispose people to infections, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The virus causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has now infected more than 29 million people worldwide.

Montrose added that prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke can increase the risk of lung damage, potentially leading to cardiovascular problems. Past evidence reveals that prolonged exposure to PM2.5 may make the coronavirus more severe and deadly.

In a study in the United States, published in the preprint server, * in April 2020, scientists have found that long term exposure to PM2.5 may make COVID-19 more deadly.

"A small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a large increase in the COVID-19 death rate," the researchers concluded.

What can be done?

Avoiding going out can help reduce the risk of smoke exposure, which can affect the air quality outdoors. Also, Montrose recommends that people should be well-informed about air quality and which parts are affected at a given time.

Further, he said that not all face masks may protect against PM2.5 and other smoke particles. In the coronavirus pandemic, health agencies say that cloth masks are enough to protect against the virus. However, cloth masks cannot filter wood smoke particles. In cases of wildfires, using N95 masks is recommended.

He added that proper training on how to use N95 masks is essential since if it is not worn correctly, it will not work well.

*Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

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Smoke from wildfires may increase COVID-19 risk

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The United States, particularly the western region, is experiencing havoc as wildfires are raging across multiple states. As a result, residents experience plummeting air quality. Now, health experts worry that the lowered air quality and the smoke produced by the wildfires may increase the risk of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread, especially among firefighters who are working to stop the fire.

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Exposure to smoke can kill you!

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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) - World Health Organization

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Information on COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.

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Wear face masks and face shields! it is important especially now that we are in the middle of a pandemic.

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Keep on track with your diet for a healthier life!

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Keep a healthy Diet!

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quit smoking NOW!