Opinion

In the first reading, Joshua summons the people of Israel and asks them to decide whether to serve God or the idols of their pagan neighbors. Sensing his imminent death, he wants the people to make a solemn recommitment to the covenant for he is aware of the real danger and temptation of idolatry surrounding them. In response, the people unanimously choose to serve God, “for it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our fathers out of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey.”The gospel presents a parallel scene wherein Jesus also makes his disciples decide whether to believe in him or leave him. This occurs at the end of his long discourse on the Bread of Life where he reveals himself as the true bread that comes down...

In 2020, we learned that for patients on ventilators, Dexamethasone was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth. Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid used in a wide range of conditions for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects.Now another corticosteroid, inhaled budesonide often used for Crohn's disease, was tied to a shorter recovery time in COVID-19 patients who were at a higher risk of severe infection, according to a study published in The Lancet.The researchers used UK residents 65 or older or who were 50 and older with comorbidities who were enrolled in the larger PRINCIPLE trial. Patients were unwell with suspected COVID-19 for up to 14 days (median, 6 days), and were ...

The 2019 Philippines Forestry Statistics recently released by the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is quite interesting when it comes to data pertaining to the province of Negros Occidental, particularly on forest cover. While others might be doubtful, as there are some concerns that should be taken into consideration, this is so far the latest official statistics from the DENR.From 2006 to 2019, the land classification status of Negros Occidental has remained constant with a total land area of about 792,607 hectares. The land classification is a general description on particular uses of our lands, as provided for in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It is a system of classifying our lands into alienable and disposable land, forestland, mi...

This year, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on a Sunday, and so its liturgy takes precedence over that of the 20th Sunday of the Year. This is providential because the gospel reading of today’s feast happily coincides with the theme of the Bread of Life which we have been reflecting on for the past Sundays. “Lord, give us this bread (of life) always,” the people ask Jesus.In answer, Jesus tells them clearly that to have the Bread of Life is to believe in him as the Word of God and to receive him as the Word made Flesh in the Eucharist.In the gospel, Mary is greeted by Elizabeth, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Because Mary believed in the Word of God spoken by the angel, the Word became incar...

The levels of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein remain stable, or even increase, 7 months post-infection, according to a follow-up study in a cohort of healthcare workers coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in collaboration with the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. The results, published in Nature Communications, also support the idea that pre-existing antibodies against common cold (non-pandemic) coronaviruses could protect against COVID-19.In order to predict the pandemic’s evolution and develop effective strategies, it is critical to better understand the dynamics and duration of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and the “possible immunity” to SARS-CoV-2 from the antibodies against the coronaviruses that cause common colds. With...

For the past two Sundays, we have been reading from Chapter 6 of John, which opens with the account on the multiplication of bread. This miracle prompts the crowd to pursue Jesus up to Capernaum.Jesus exhorts the people not to seek bread that perishes but the bread that lasts to eternal life, which he can give. They then ask Jesus to give them this bread always. After some discussion, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life… I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.”The Jews have always believed that the true bread of life is the Law, the Word of God, that nourishes his people. Given to Moses on Mount Sinai, the Torah/Law manifests God’s will and teaches Israel the right way of living. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus presents hims...

More reason to do everything we can to protect older adults from COVID infection: new studies show an association between COVID-19 and memory problems and worse physical health eight months after diagnosis and others finding cognitive decline and accelerated Alzheimer's disease symptoms as long as 6 months after infection.Memory problems, lack of energy, worse physical health A study from the University of Oslo published in JAMA Network Open involved 9,705 non-hospitalized adults in Norway who had been either tested for SARS-CoV-2 at four large labs or randomly selected (untested).At that time, nearly all COVID-19 testing in Norway was in symptomatic patients. After an average follow-up of 257 days after a baseline survey, 72 of the 651 COVID-19–positive respondents (11%) ...

It has been over a year now and the COVID-19 pandemic is still plaguing the world in spite of the rollout of different vaccines against it. While other countries started to ease their health protocols and restrictions, here come several mutated strains that continue to threaten the lives of the people on a global scale.Health experts claim that the Delta variant is known to be more infectious compared to other mutated viruses from what is now known as SARS-CoV-2 or the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.A number of countries are now experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases, while the Philippines will impose another lockdown, or what government officials call Enhanced Community Quarantine, in the National Capital Region and other areas starting August 5 to 20. The quarant...

Today we continue to read from Chapter 6 of John’s gospel. Last Sunday, we have seen how Jesus feeds 6,000 people by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, which so astonishes the crowd that they want to make him king. Knowing their intent, Jesus flees to the mountain and instructs his apostles to cross the lake ahead of him to Capernaum.In today’s gospel, we see Jesus joining his apostles in Capernaum and the crowd catching up with them. (The narrative skips an earlier part wherein Jesus walks on the lake and arrives together with the apostles in Capernaum).Surprised at the sight of Jesus, the people ask, “Rabbi, how did you get here?” What follows is a long and interesting dialogue between Jesus and the Israelites, which John uses as context for the famous discourse of Je...

Balanced nutritional intake during the progression of and recovery from any illness is important for improvement in health outcomes. In addition, acute and chronic malnutrition predispose patients to significantly increased risk of bacterial and viral infection and increased severity of these infections.Therefore, it is expected that malnutrition can worsen the prognosis of COVID. A recent study published in Scientific Reports indeed showed that adults and children with a history of malnutrition are more likely to die of COVID or need mechanical ventilation. The researchers looked at 8,604 children (mean age, 6 years) and 94,495 adults (mean age, 53 years) hospitalized with COVID-19 across 56 US hospitals from March to June 2020 and compared those with malnutrit...