WHEN DID PANDEMIC START?

By Andrea Trina Boqueo

The first case of COVID-19 was announced last January 30, 2020, and local transmission was confirmed last March 7, 2020. According to the COVID-19 Case Tracker, the number of cases of COVID-19 has climbed to 13,434. And the number of deaths due to the virus had increased to 846 as of May 21 in the same year. It is alarming that behind Indonesia, the Philippines had the second-highest COVID-19 mortality rate among ASEAN countries.

This could be attributed to several factors, including how the country's health system can handle the surge in demand for health care caused by the COVID-19 problem as well as the effectiveness of the government's response in halting the spread of this new infection. President Rodrigo Duterte had issued the enhanced community quarantine for the whole island of Luzon; which includes the eight administrative regions, along with the national capital region. Since the emergence of local transmission, other sections of the country had been under some form of quarantine at various times. Executive Order 112 expanded the ECQ in high-risk areas and implemented general community quarantine all across the country.

Throughout this crisis, the Philippines had faced numerous challenges. Due to a lack of personal protective equipment, mechanical ventilators, and isolation beds, the health system lacks enough surge capacity to properly handle a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19. More seriously, a shortage of health workers particularly outside of the metropolitan area is a major concern. Another issue to consider is COVID-19's negative economic impact. The Philippines has a substantial informal sector, and many families' income is based on everyday transactions rather than a regular job or social security. As a response, the government had decided to provide financial or in-kind assistance to vulnerable communities, a reaction that had been fraught with difficulties. First and foremost, the Philippine government was required to correctly identify people who were all in need. Second, it had to make sure that enough resources were available for the designated groups. Third, it must provide support in a timely and equitable manner.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been a strong spirit of "Bayanihan" throughout the country. People are volunteering, distributing goods to disadvantaged communities, and contributing personal protective equipment to those who work on the frontlines. Some companies adapted to the situation by repurposing their services to meet the local demand for medical supplies and personal protective equipment.

We handled the situation in different ways. Some people had spent more time with friends and family, while others had been more productive working from home. In this time of national crisis, staying healthy and being mindful are also important factors.

Despite the hardships that we will face in the future once the quarantine has ended and the new normal has been set, we can say that Filipinos learned significant lessons from this situation. Moments like this remind us to look backward with humility. It made many people slow down and think about what is important to them. The questions we didn’t know we had were now requiring answers. Perhaps, there is a silver lining in every cloud.