Journal of a Lockdown No. 2

I finish season two of Kingdom (킹덤) in Netflix. It's about an epidemic that turns people into flesh-eating monsters. Once bitten, the victim becomes a monster. Unlike in other films, the zombies run. The protagonist is the Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), who, in order to save Korea, must also ascend to his rightful throne and remove the usurpers, the Haewon Cho Clan, headed by Minister Cho Hak-ju (Ryu Seung-ryong) and the Queen Consort Cho (Kim Hye-jun). It has politics, conspiracy, deception, infectious disease, and epidemiology. It's beautifully crafted. It does not insult the viewer's intelligence. Don't watch it if you're prone to panic.

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I do some laps in the pool.

I read about Esau and Jacob in Genesis. I remember friends and family. I pray for negative COVID swab results of two friends very dear to me.

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Work resumes on Monday. My patients from the provinces can continue chemo, provided they show proof that their travel to Metro Manila is essential. At least, that's the news we're getting. There's also an announcement of a curfew at 8 PM, but the advisories are conflicting.

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COVID-19 cases are now close to 100, according to CNN Philippines.

Previously, the majority of the 64 cases were confined in hospitals in Metro Manila, prompting the government to restrict travel to and from the region.

The DOH also disclosed that the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City has limited its services since its health personnel were exposed to a COVID-19 patient – an 88-year-old Filipino who died of the disease this week.

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This lockdown lifestyle is how I would typically describe my weekend: recuperating at home after a tiring work day, catching up on sleep and rest and books and TV series and films.

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I subscribe to Apple TV Plus. "See" is gripping. It features Jason Momoa's best acting so far. His name is Baba Voss, the head of the Alkenny tribe. The world's population is decimated to less than two million after a virus hit 600 years ago. It reminds me a lot of Jose Saramago's Blindness, a book I read during my Opthalmology rotation in medical internship. The characters' names in this series sound musical, as in Frank Herbert's Dune (Benne Gesserit, Gaius Helen Mohiam, Leto Atreides--who doesn't like a good name?). I can't get over them.

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Mitigation efforts like social distancing help reduce the disease caseload on any given date, and can keep the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed, reports the NY Times. Full story here.


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Sunday worship service is canceled tomorrow. I'll miss my church family.

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Our hospital's director tells patients to avoid non-essential medical follow ups. The health workforce is now geared towards addressing COVID-19. Might get called to assist in the IM Clinic.