Primary lines of defense have collapsed.

Stay home – dead in the water when businesses opened.

Wear masks – badly compromised when DOH/FDA never clearly gave specifications that make masks work against the Covid-19 virus, and when the same agencies never monitored the efficacy of masks being worn.

Wash hands frequently – good for some, not practical for most, no adequate washing facilities outside of houses, and no instant water available for the lower income bracket.

Social or physical distancing – applicable to larger offices and restaurants, not applicable to public transport, public markets, busy streets, and other workplaces.

What are secondary lines of defense? Vitamins and supplements? Yes, but for how many of the 110 million Filipinos? And for those who can afford to buy, for how long? Definitely, the poorest 30% cannot afford anything because they cannot even be assured of three meals a day. The next 50% were financially compromised when work was interrupted, together with their income. Take a look at the target beneficiaries of the ayuda and you will have a sense who can afford nothing, a little, or just a little more.

Third line of defense can only be doctors, hospitals, health centers, and other medical frontliners. In Metro Manila, that line of defense has been overwhelmed. By now, patients are going to alternative medical centers in nearby provinces – and finding out that they, too, are on the verge of being overwhelmed.

Last line of defense, medicines that offer possibilities in preventive and curative capacity, medicines that can be afforded by every Filipino family. Was there ever any such line of defense for the majority of Filipinos? What medicine? I am not talking about just vitamins and supplements anymore. When the infections have set in, something stronger is needed, like the FDA-approved Remdesivir. But Remdesivir is for the upper 1% of the economic strata. The rest would have to borrow money to afford its treatment, plus hospitalization which can administer the medicine.

It was not as if there was no warning about waves of infections when normal businesses open. That is because those who stayed at home will then be in the streets and workplaces. And because they were never properly warned that their primary protective gear – masks – are effective only under certain conditions. That means millions out there are exposed, or are carriers of Covid-19, until the practice of mask-wearing is matched by proper specifications and maintenance.

But the ones in charge did not see or did learn lessons well and did not look at the signs. Even as the surge was beginning in February, they avoided confronting the warning. Then, it came. From hundreds of new daily infections to thousands. The ones in charge did not drop the ball – they never held it.

Now they scramble to contain the damage. And they go more aggressive because deaths, not only infections, are starting to have a surge. The odds against dying of Covid-19 are low, but they increase when infections increase. In volume, deaths will go up and up as the healthcare system is unable to cope.

Sickness scares people, but deaths bring the fear to another level. That is where it is today in Metro Manila and Bubble provinces are – at near chaos from fear. Let us not underestimate the possibilities of disorder from a chaotic situation driven by fear. Add hunger, add anger, and we have a full-fledged catastrophe the likes of Yolanda multiplied. Do not ask me what that looks like because no one will like it, not this administration, not its opponents.

Arrest the fear, immediately. Offer hope, show our people that they can avoid infections, they can avoid dying. But not by simply repeating the first line defense protocol. It has failed and needs to be repaired if it ever will be effective again. Give them a way out. Give them a chance to save themselves and their families.

What is that today? What can the government offer? What can DOH and FDA offer? Please do not say there is nothing that all Filipinos can get their hands on, get their intelligence and guts on to help themselves. But if our health authorities have nothing to offer, then please tell the people the dark truth, beg their forgiveness, and let anyone with a bright idea or innovative way or an alternative medicine offer it to the people. Do not just go to your books and manuals and international rules and regulations to deny your own people a chance to save themselves. That is shameful. It may even be criminal.

I wrote last week that impracticality can turn to stupidity. That was last week, and that was the first stage. From then to today there have been hundreds of deaths and even more thousands unable to get even space for treatment. But if DOH and FDA, and doctors who are too afraid to imagine a life that did not all the time obey WHO and US FDA, are themselves not helpful beyond personally curing their patients, please do not be obstacles in efforts to find solutions you do not have. Stay in your zones. You already cannot do enough there.

When the wheel has turned from impracticality to stupidity, it can still turn further – from stupidity to arrogance. I think the DOH and FDA have begun the descent from stupidity to arrogance, accompanied by their faithful liege and defenders. They can still apply the emergency brakes; they have time but not much. Because Covid-19 is on a roll. It is galloping with the wind behind it. And it will maim or kill everyone in its path.

Brave doctors and concerned citizens out there who value their peoples’ lives beyond the boundaries of WHO, US FDA, FDA Philippines, and DOH, please do not give up on the Filipinos. If you find a cure or a treatment that is not worse than being infected or killed by Covid-19, prescribe it, share it, tell the people, and take the risks so your people may find hope.

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here. What you need to know about Coronavirus.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link .

DENVER (CBS4) – April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. It is a time to spread the word about this disease, but also a time to learn more about the treatments being offered.

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation , more than 1 million people are currently living with the disease in the United States. 60,000 Americans are diagnosed every year, and men are 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s than women.

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On CBSN Denver , we talked to Dr. Matthew Mian, a functional neurosurgeon at Swedish Medical Center . He says Parkinson’s symptoms go beyond tremors.

“Sometimes the most outward things that we notice or that lead to the diagnosis are things like the tremor, but actually Parkinson’s disease affects all parts of the body. Many times, in retrospect, patients have had problems long before their tremor becomes apparent. That includes sleep problems, loss of sense of smell, even constipation.”

Other Parkinson’s symptoms include trouble with gait or balance, and stiffness or rigidity. Dr. Mian says unfortunately the disease is usually hard to diagnose until someone develops those outward movement symptoms.

“Usually, Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed by a neurologist, with a formal neurologic examination. Unlike some other neurologic disorders, we don’t actually have a formal test or scan that leads to diagnosis, it’s mostly the meeting of neurologists and having a detailed examination.”

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For most Parkinson’s patients, treatment will include medications that can help them cope with some of the symptoms.

“Patients who have been on medications for some time can lose effectiveness,” says Dr. Mian. “For them, we think about a different category of treatment, and that’s something called Deep Brain Stimulation.”

Deep Brain Stimulation consists of a thin wire that enters the brain and is connected to a small battery. The device is constantly working to deliver targeted pulses of electricity to a part of the brain.

“I compare it to a pacemaker for the brain,” says Dr. Mian. “It creates a very dramatic change in a patient’s movements, so their movements become more fluid. Their tremor is much better controlled, and they often have a much less need for the medications.”

Deep Brain Stimulation can also help patients who have essential tremor disorder, or epilepsy.

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“We’ve been doing this for about 20 years. Nowadays, it has really evolved into the standard of care for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, and it’s used in centers throughout the country,” says Dr. Mian. “We used to do a related therapy where instead of placing a stimulator, we would burn a small spot in the brain to create what’s called a lesion. That is the procedure that Michael J. Fox had for example. But we learned over time that if we place the stimulator instead there were certain advantages. We can turn the therapy up or down as a patient’s symptoms change over time. And the therapy fundamentally is safer and reversible.”

With a population of around 84 million, Iran is experiencing a mass lockdown as authorities have said over 85 percent of the country is experiencing high COVID-19 infection rates, according to the Associated Press.

Red zones have enveloped Tehran, the country’s capital, along with 250 cities and towns across the nation while some areas with slightly lower rates have been hit with orange zones. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) have Iran listed as a level 4 red zone overall, urging travelers to avoid the country.

“If you must travel to Iran, get fully vaccinated before travel,” the CDC wrote online. “All travelers should wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, and wash their hands.”

Iranian Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 25,078 new COVID-19 infection cases occurred over the past 24 hours in Iran on Thursday, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The rising rates of infections, which has been the country’s fourth wave, has come after the country celebrated the Iranian New Year Nowruz for two weeks, also known as the Persian New Year, which attracted millions of travelers to the country’s popular vacation destinations, the AP reported.

A 10-day lockdown began in Iran on Saturday and has restricted access to a wide range of amenities such as parks, restaurants and malls.

Newsweek reached out to the CDC for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

Iran has finalized a deal with Russia to purchase 60 million doses of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Thursday.

The report quotes Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, as saying the contract has been “signed and finalized” for enough vaccinations to inoculate 30 million people.

Jalali said Iran will receive the vaccines by the end of the year.

Amid mass lockdowns, authorities ordered most shops closed and offices restricted to one-third capacity in cities declared as “red zones” with the highest infection rates.

COVAX, an international collaboration to deliver the vaccine equitably across the world, delivered its first shipment to Iran on Monday from the Netherlands, containing 700,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doses.

Iran in December began the human test phase of its homemade vaccine that it is expected to distribute in spring. The country has also began working on a joint vaccine with Cuba. It is also planning to import some 17 million doses of vaccine from COVAX and millions of doses from other countries.

Iran says several factors played a role in the rising number of cases, but insists the prime culprit was the U.K. variant of the virus that entered Iran from Iraq.

Earlier this year, the country started its coronavirus inoculation campaign, administering a limited number of Russian Sputnik V vaccine doses to medical workers.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will work with those who must receive new vaccinations after a clinic in El Paso County was shut down . A total of 7,000 appointments need to be rescheduled.

The CDPHE suspended the vaccine operation at the Dr. Moma Health and Wellness Clinic because they failed to properly document the temperature at which the vaccine was being stored.

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“This is an incredibly isolated incident. It is disappointing, it is concerning. Our heart goes out to those who received a vaccine at this clinic. We’ll be working with them, in communications to make sure that they have an opportunity to get the dosing that they need to get to get them back on track,” said Colorado National Guard Brigadier General Scott Sherman.

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After consulting with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the department released guidance saying that people who received one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should start their two-shot vaccination series over again . People should get a new first shot 21 days later for Pfizer and 28 days later for Moderna.

Those who are unsure should wait at least 28 days before getting a new first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, with the follow-up shot 28 days later, it said.

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Those who received both shots at the spa should get one more dose of the same vaccine, Pfizer after 21 days or Moderna after 28 days, the department said. Those who are unsure can wait at least 28 days and get a final shot of either Pfizer or Moderna, the department said.

A “HEALTHY” dad was paralyzed and unable to speak after getting the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine, as the jab is pulled due to the risk of blood clots.

Brad Malagarie, 43, from St Martin, Mississippi, suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot in his left middle cerebral artery in his brain within four hours of being given the one-dose shot, according to his family.

The news about the dad-of-seven comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday they were recommending a pause in handing out the shot after six women developed rare, but serious, blood clots out of 7.2million vaccinations.

That figure was later updated to nine people which included two people who developed blood clots during clinical trials and seven after the vaccine had been approved for emergency use.

So far there is no evidence to indicate the Covid-19 vaccines caused any of the blood clots, including the clot suffered by Malagarie.

All previous reports of blood clots happened between six and 13 days after receiving the one-dose shot.

Malagarie’s family told WLOX they were convinced the vaccine was to blame for Brad’s condition.

Malagarie received the Covid-19 vaccine at around midday on April 6 and then returned to his office.

His coworkers found him slumped and unresponsive at his desk a few hours later and he was rushed to hospital, according to the report.

Doctors diagnosed he had suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot in his brain.

Celeste Foster O’Keefe, Malagarie’s aunt and boss, said: “He’s a young, healthy 43-year-old, and I immediately thought it, and I said be sure to tell the doctors he took that J & J vaccine and that, to me, is what caused his stroke.”

She said his only health issue was that he suffered from high blood pressure but took medication for the condition.

Malagarie is currently being treated at the Ochsner Medical Center in Louisiana and although he is has left the ICU he is still in a critical but stable condition.

Celeste said he was still unable to talk or move the right side of his body.

“He can’t talk now and he can’t walk. He’s paralyzed on the right side. He knows who we are and he will just cry when he sees us,” O’Keefe said.

Doctors have told the family it could be a long road to recovery and a Facebook donation page has been set up by the family to pay his medical bills.

The Mississippi State Department of Health said in a statement it was “saddened” to learn of Malagarie’s condition and is investigating.

“The Mississippi State Department of Health is saddened to hear about the recent illness of Mr. Malagarie and wishes him well,”the health department told WLOX.

“The Agency is certainly investigating the situation. It is difficult, if not impossible, to assign a cause and effect at this time.

“It is important to note that strokes are not associated with this vaccine – instead a rare clotting syndrome has been identified.”

The department pointed out the confirmed cases so far have all been in women and reactions happened several days after getting the shot.

“Further, adverse reaction has been cited between six and 13 days after the vaccine was administered,” they said.

All administration of the J&J vaccine was paused this week in Mississippi on the advice of the CDC and FDA.

The White House health adviser Dr Anthony Fauci warned Wednesday that women should be “alert to some symptoms” if they had been given the J&J Covid vaccine.

“This is a very rare event. It’s less than one in a million,” he told CBS News .

“Having said that, you still wanna be alert to some symptoms, such as severe headache, some difficulty in movement, or some chest discomfort and difficulty breathing.”

He also confirmed that analysts are looking into the possibility of an adverse “hormonal” response with the Johnson & Johnson shot tied to taking a regimen of birth control pills.

“There have been similar types of phenomena that have occurred during pregnancy,” he said during the interview.

“Clotting abnormalities are known in women who take birth control pills, so certainly there could be a hormonal aspect to this.”

“It’s really younger women that seem to be at highest risk and there are other risks in that age group,” Stanford’s Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, who is a liaison for the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) told KGO , adding that birth control pills could factor in.

“For example, that’s when autoimmune diseases start to appear, that’s when birth control pills are being used, so there may be other factors involved.”