Taiwan offers knowledge in combating Covid-19 through smart solutions and effective communications

New Covid 19 info drive website offers information for stakeholders, local and foreign expertise.

There is no doubt that the best and most effective way of combating the Covid-19 virus and prevent its further spread, aside from an effective vaccine, is for the public to be well informed.

Taiwan is among the more than 200 countries around the world affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) said there are 18,354,342 confirmed cases globally, with deaths amounting to 696,147. Despite these alarming numbers, Taiwan met the challenge with effective contact tracing measures, smart products and solutions, advanced preparations, swift action, and enough forward-thinking vision. Thus, the country became one of the most successful when it came to early containment and prevention to minimize the virus’ impact.

To date, Taiwan is largely considered as among the global “gold” standards in fighting the dreaded Covid-19. The Global Covid-19 Index (GCI), which compiles and analyzes daily data from 184 countries around the world, in its July 25, 2020 report, ranked Taiwan as among the Top 5 countries that can best recover from Covid-19.

Taiwan believes effective communication should be at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 so it recently launched https://www.anticovid19tw.org, a website where Taiwan shares its experience in fighting Covid-19 to affected countries around the world, including the Philippines. The website provides information to various stakeholders and also features some of Taiwan’s most advanced and state-of-the-art epidemic prevention measures and smart technologies in fighting the virus.

Equipping the Public with Information

 For the general public, the website effectively and comprehensively answers common questions and other information the public needs to know regarding the virus, such as the virus transmission, risks and complications that affect various age and gender demographics, even mental health concerns, the usual symptoms, and also what to do immediately in case of suspected infection and where to go for medical assistance.

Measures that the government can consider
In the Philippines, Local Government Units (LGUs), mostly the densely populated ones, may also benefit from the website since they can learn how the Taiwanese government conducts its own “Contact-Information-Based Measures” or “Contact Tracing” as it is called locally. It also shows how the Taiwanese government responds in terms of providing assistance to foreigners in Taiwan who may have Covid-19 related concerns, and how the Taiwanese government implements health and safety regulations and other important protocols to help prevent the spread of the virus upon initial reporting. It even shows how foreign governments can enter into collaborative and cooperative agreements with Taiwan and seek its knowledge in combating the virus.

Empowering the medical industry
Finally, by browsing the website, the Philippine medical community can also discover various Covid-19 diagnostic and treatment modes employed in Taiwan for confirmed cases that can be adopted locally. Medical professionals are also presented with different scenarios on how patients with special needs can be treated in case they are infected.

Enabling the business community to cope
To help them cope with the pandemic, the Philippine business community may also browse through the website and learn how to keep their businesses afloat in such a difficult time. Information on smart supply management solutions, plus measures on how companies can help protect their employees through face masks and other protective equipment, may be found on the website. There are also actual experiences by Taiwanese businesses that enabled them to mitigate the devastating impact of the Covid-19 contagion.

Over the past few years, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has been a reliable partner of Filipino businesses in connecting and doing business with quality Taiwan suppliers, products and services. TAITRA continues to introduce Taiwan companies to its Philippine counterparts through frequent dialogues and business familiarization tours even prior to Covid-19. The contagion did not stop TAITRA in its endeavors as it organized various online events for the benefit of stakeholders amid the pandemic, such as “Taiwan’s Medical Services and Epidemic Prevention Experience Sharing” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ndgzjkjUqU&feature=youtu.be) held last July, and even the online product presentation via YouTube of “Taiwan Biomedical Solution to Covid-19 and Genetic Analysis,” organized by Hsinchu Science Park and TAITRA, and featured some of the top biomedical companies in Taiwan.

Taiwan believes that the fight against the virus continues and there should be no letup to control it. Its model of excellence in fighting the disease has become a hallmark, and the Taiwanese government is more than willing to share to other affected countries in the world its best practices to help finally end this debilitating pandemic.

Pantene Collagen Miracle

Damaged Hair? You Might Be Using the Wrong Products.

Treat It with the “My Collagen Miracle” Habit

Is the lack of social activities making you care less about your hair’s condition? You might want to do a quick re-check on your hair condition. 

Being indoors does not necessarily mean your hair is completely free from the risks of hair damage. If your hair is showing signs of tutchang, dryness, dullness, and frizz, chances are, it’s damaged. Exposure to heat in the form of hair styling tools, humidity, and chemical treatments weakens your hair’s fibers and strips off nutrients, moisture, and color, causing more damage. Not to mention that continuous use of the wrong haircare products can also harm your strands. 

Strengthen your hair’s core and keep it from further damage by using collagen-infused haircare products — the ingredient that has done wonders to the skin.

Introducing My Collagen Miracle

Collagen provides amino acids in your body that then builds proteins to help strengthen hair from root to tip. It also prevents your hair from thinning, discoloration, and more damage. This miracle ingredient has done wonders for the skin and is now making rounds for its hair strengthening benefits.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the power of collagen could be found in a haircare product? You won’t have to deal with regrets when choosing the wrong products again.

Well, lucky for you Pantene now has a conditioner that’s formulated with real Collagen.

 

Say good riddance to damaged hair when you use the Pantene Collagen Miracle Conditioner — formulated with a blend of Pro-Vitamin B5, miracle serum, and real collagen, that moisturizes hair, targets damaged strands, and strengthens hair that’s frizz-free with salon-like results. 

Unlike other conditioners that only have hydrolyzed collagen, Pantene’s Collagen Miracle Conditioner contains real collagen with a triple helix structure that gives support and structure to each hair strand, providing protection from external causes of damage.

   

Other Conditioners vs. Pantene Collagen Miracle Conditioner

For more information, watch Dr. Aivee Teo’s video where she shares expert advice on how effective collagen works in protecting your hair —  keeping frizz, dryness, and damage at bay.

Use Pantene Collagen Miracle Conditioner daily and save yourself from the hassle of dealing with damaged and dry hair. Instead, enjoy the miraculous salon smooth hair, collagen has to offer.

You don’t need to sweat going out and exposing your hair to the extreme heat and humidity when you can conveniently shop Pantene products from the comfort of your own home and checkout through Lazada or Shopee.

Durex calls for continued awareness and support to the LGBTQIA+ community

As HIV cases among Filipino males rise, Durex calls for continued awareness and support to the LGBTQIA+ community

 

With the ongoing pandemic, the COVID-19 virus has been on everybody’s mind, causing tremendous anxiety and fear in everyone. While undeniably COVID-19 has resulted in a health crisis of unparalleled proportions, the issue of HIV in the Philippines alongside that of LGBTQIA+ community concerns still remains a critical one, more so in view of the latest data from the Department of Health (DOH) and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

 

Statistics from the DOH show that the average number of people newly diagnosed with HIV on a daily basis is at 35. Furthermore, the number of HIV cases among sexually active males has been considerable, with January to December 2019 figures pegged at 7,743 male to male transmissions.

 

Additional data shows that from January 1984 to December 2019, sexual contact among men who have sex with men (MSM) is at 85% or 59,906, and was the predominant mode of transmission. This is followed by male-female sex at 11% or 7,476, and sharing of infected needles at 3% or 2,166. More than half of men who have sex with men at 52% or 31,377 were 25-34 years old at the time of testing, and 31% or 18,555 were 15-24 years old.

 

These figures resulted in the DOH Central Office National AIDS and STI (sexually transmitted infection) Prevention and Control Program to sound the alarm over how more young Filipino men are being infected by HIV.

 

Meanwhile, data from the 2019 Global AIDS Report shows that the population size estimate of men who have sex with men stands at 830,000, with an HIV prevalence of 5%, HIV testing and status awareness at 28.4%, and condom use at 40.1%. In the same study, the population size estimate of transgenders stands at 190,000, HIV testing and status awareness at 36.3%, and condom use at 40.6.%.

 

“The lockdown imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges and difficulties to a lot of people, where people living with HIV (PLHIV) have not been spared,” says Dr. Louie Ocampo, Country Director of UNAIDS Philippines. “Early on, for example, accessing life-saving antiretroviral therapy and prevention services including condoms became difficult. It’s imperative therefore that all stakeholders’ work together to ensure uninterrupted access to HIV services is provided and that we remain relentless in our drive to curb a possible second wave of the HIV epidemic in the country.”

 

Truly no one is invincible to catching HIV, and now more than ever, the use of protection and the importance of always being prepared in encounters cannot be stressed enough. This bares even more relevant with the recently concluded virtual celebration of Pride Month – with the call of the LGBTQIA+ community, one of the most vulnerable sectors of HIV, for inclusivity and acceptance – and the active participation of Durex.

 

Through its No One Way Love All Ways Campaign, which emphasizes that there’s really no one way to own your sexuality, Durex continues the fight to curb the spread of HIV in the Philippines, even in this season of COVID-19.

 

Beyond the No One Way Love All Ways Campaign, Durex has a host of other worthwhile initiatives in partnership with various stakeholders. Included here is the brand’s donation of condoms to the Taguig City Health Office last April, which were then distributed to health centers as well as being made available for the city’s telemedicine program. Durex is also donating P20K worth of products to LoveYourself for their National HIV Prevention Month activities this August.

 

Without question, hand in hand with the present fight against COVID-19, so must the fight for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and people living with HIV continue. So, too, is the need to arrest the alarming rise in HIV cases in the country.