If COVID-19 is real, are 'taong grasa' immune? Expert answers

If COVID-19 is real, why aren't taong grasa or homeless vagrants contracting the dreaded coronavirus?

Some netizens who still doubt the truth about COVID-19 have raised the question on how the wandering homeless live with the virus while many stay at home to avoid it. 

"If we are going to do swabbing among them, I'm sure may magpapa-positive po," San Lazaro Hospital's Dr. Ferdinand De Guzman said on "Stand for Truth".

"Ang biruan nga namin, eh siguro malakas ang immune system nila. Kahit anong panahon nasa labas po sila kaya may resistance na po sila to any disease," he added.

"Kung may gagawa ng study, may mags-swab test sa kanila, baka COVID po ang ilan sa kanila. Or karamihan sa kanila, dahil they are very much exposed," De Guzman said.

De Guzman said he had a driver who said his friends believed the virus was a hoax.

“But it’s a reality. Marami na pong namamatay, hindi lang po sa Pilipinas, kundi sa buong mundo. So it’s a real, it’s a real problem po. Naghahanap na tayo ng bakuna,”  De Guzman said.

[But it’s a reality. Many have died not only in the Philippines but around the whole world. So it’s a real, real problem. We’re already searching for a vaccine.]

In response to those who say that some doctors immediately diagnosed those with flu, fever, and UTI as a COVID-19 patient, De Guzman explained that COVID-19 patients would have similar  those symptoms. 

“Siguro any other time or any other year or month po, kung hindi pandemic, pwede natin siya i-consider purely as UTI or purely as a respiratory tract infection, hindi po natin iisipin na COVID siya,” he said.

[Maybe in another time or another year or month, if it was not during the pandemic, we could consider this purely as UTI or purely as a respiratory tract infection. We would not think it’s COVID.]

“Kaso pandemic po, at documented po na merong COVID. Ang daming test na na-develop. Nag start tayo sa swabbing, nag karoon ng antibody test, may antigen test, may saliva tests na po. So wala na pong duda, that COVID is very much here with us,” he added.

[However, it’s during the pandemic and COVID is already documented. We have conducted numerous testing. We started in swabbing, then antibody test, antigen test, and now there are saliva tests. So there’s no doubt that COVID is very much ere with us.]

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also urged the public to believe in the existence of the virus as many had already tested positive.

“[A]ng tanging sandata po natin laban sa COVID, mask, hugas, iwas, atsaka kung puwede na magpabakuna, magpabakuna na po,” he said.

[The only protection we have against COVID are masks, handwashing, social distancing, and if you can get the vaccine, please get vaccinated.] --Joahna Lei Casilao/NB, GMA News