Immunity Is Our Best Defence

A statement by Asst. Prof. Patana Teng-Umnuay Ph.D. M.D.

The current coronavirus pandemic is greatly affecting not only the health but also the hearts and minds of people all over the world.

I believe that the severity of diseases among individuals depends on:

1. The amount of virus particles each person received

2. Their own immunity

3. The healthcare system

A lot of people who have gotten the coronavirus will not have initial symptoms. Eventually, most will have mild symptoms, others will have more severe symptoms, and a smaller few will unfortunately not survive.

As a result, it’s difficult for us to know with any certainty who has been infected from who has not.

Testing every individual who has no symptoms will not help. People can still be infected a few days after.

So, at this phase, we should think that all of us might have a chance of being infected, but still have no symptoms because our immune system is able to fight against it.

Thus, we need to avoid spreading possible infectious materials to other people, especially to our elders and those with low immunity.

Cleaning our hands often with soap (or alcohol in case that soap is not available), and practicing social distancing is the key.

Please keep in mind, that strong immunity is very important.

If you lock yourself at home, feeling stressed, with no exercise, eating only processed and frozen foods, it will only lower your immunity further.

So please, get out of your house, walk in nature and face the sunshine, but stay away from the crowds.

Eating green and fresh vegetables including grains and drinking mineral water will boost your immunity, and remember to take your vitamins, especially vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc.

I disagree with the hospital method of keeping infected people together in the same closed space because patients will keep spreading the virus to each other and never have a chance to be cured.

In many countries, they are allowing infected people to go home if they are not seriously ill and can take care of themselves, so they won’t have a chance to get the virus from other sick patients, and hospitals will have the budget and time to care for other patients.

However, it does mean that patients released back into the general community can spread the virus, so they must be responsible and isolate themselves.

Whether we like it or not, most of us will get exposed to this virus eventually. But if we keep our immunity strong, we should be able to overcome infection.

A few months from now, most people will have immunity against the virus. That is when herd immunity happens. New cases will be less, and the situation will be under control.

But until the scientists come up with the way of testing for immune people, we must stay strong until that day comes.

Staying positive about the virus situation doesn’t mean promoting sickness. We are facing a panic among our people and it won’t help.

It is time that we stop blaming, but start sharing, and helping each other.

That is how we will survive and win this war.

Written by Asst. Prof. Patana Teng-Umnuay Ph.D. M.D. on 24 March 2020.