Pandemia ka lang, I am FILIPINO

Source: https://www.easel.ly/blog/coronavirus-infographics-templates-and-resources/

The year 2020 started with a worrying condition when several pneumonia cases were reported in the province of Wuhan in China. It was then reported that a new virus was identified and named Coronavirus (COVID-19). It spread throughout the province of Wuhan and was brought to different countries as days went by. Many people got infected, and that led to a pandemic.

What to know: COVID-19

From knowledge, the virus came from a live animal market and was transferred to a human that caused pneumonia. It spread quickly that the province of Wuhan was full of respiratory cases. Subsequent investigations revealed that it is related to the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2003. This Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new type of coronavirus that is infectious and could cause illnesses to the respiratory system of both humans and animals. Under the microscope, you will see a spike shape-like crown which is called corona in Latin and the word virus is also translated from Latin meaning poison.  COVID-19 is an abbreviation of Coronavirus Disease 2019 but was formerly referred to as a ‘2019 novel coronavirus’ or simply ‘2019-nCoV’.  A person can get infected by contact by touching a contaminated surface then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. It could be also caused by breathing, sneezing, singing, or talking near an infected person due to droplets. It still depends on the distance between a person and the other.The first COVID-19 case in the Philippines was on the 30^th of January and other Filipinos slowly got infected. By March 2020, the COVID-19 cases rapidly increased and alarmed so many people.  Lockdowns and quarantines were implemented by the government in different areas of the Philippines that lasted for six months. This caused a great negative impact on the economy of the country, the residents, and the lifestyle of the Filipinos. As of November 2020,  there are 424,000+ total cases, 387,000 recovered, and 8,242 deaths in the Philippines.

Source: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

CHANGE & AWARENESS

Due to the pandemic, the environment we live in has somewhat changed. The lockdowns reduced the incentive and need for people to travel, which resulted in less pollution in the air. The stores and the other establishments closed shop, became silent, and felt like a ghost town. Many people lost their jobs, some are working from home, and other Filipinos especially those who are living in poverty, lost their livelihood, and are at risk of dying of hunger. Also, classes are now online which made it difficult for many Filipino children to attend and learn through their screens. We can say that many Filipinos right now have their own cellphones even ages 13 below, but what about the children living in poverty.

The pandemic changed the lifestyle we were all used to, which significantly changed the way we did things pre-pandemic. Some people got lazier, unproductive, stressed, bored, and felt lonely. There were also a lot of young people that became more aware of the happenings in their society. The way the government acted or responded to this pandemic became eye-opening for others. This situation of ours right now is called “the new normal”.

Despite what is happening right now in this pandemic, we should still keep in mind that life must go on. We, Filipinos, are known to be resilient relative to the circumstances we encounter.  Let’s all think positively about our lives and have hope for ourselves and society. Think of what else we can do inside our house and have the will and courage to do new things inside. Enjoy the family bond while it lasts. As my peers have once said, “one with a positive mind, lives a healthy life”.

Sources:

https://www.ednc.org/how-the-state-board-is-addressing-covid-19-for-schools-this-fall/

https://www.atlassian.com/blog/teamwork/know-thyself-how-self-awareness-helps-you-at-work

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-05-17/philippines-records-208-new-coronavirus-cases-seven-more-deaths

YOUTH’S INITIATIVE

One of the key events happening right now since the beginning of the pandemic was when many became aware of how the virus affects a person. The government restricted the teens 19 years old below from going out of the house. It was surely the most effective way of protecting the youth however, it did not stop them from helping the other needy Filipinos in this time of the pandemic. Some helped in making home-cooked food to be given to the street people. Recently, two 150Kph typhoons have caused disasters in different provinces. The youth already took action on social media, where they raised funds through programs, posted bank accounts for donations, and called for help. These actions may be small to others but it somehow was and still is, a big help to the victims of the typhoon. Despite all of the aforementioned heroics, the most important thing is that the youth does and remains to follow the government protocols in public, wearing a mask, a face shield, and maintaining social distancing. This case was especially true when some youth advocate groups had a rally in the University of the Philippines in Diliman Campus, where they exercised their rights to free speech, while still following the government protocols.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/UPIMPULSE/status/1271344185384165378

https://www.rappler.com/nation/typhoon-ulysses-death-toll-november-15-2020

https://www.8list.ph/ulysses-ph-donation/

---

References: 

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Disease. (2020, November). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).Centers for disease control and prevention.Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html1

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (2020, June). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0ZabxXmH4Y

EDRADA, E. et al.(2020, April). First COVID-19 infections in the Philippines: a case report.Tropical medicine and health.NCBI.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7154063/#:~:text=On%20January%2030%2C%20SARS%2DCoV,fever%2C%20cough%2C%20and%20chills

Template: COVID-19 pandemic data. (2020, November). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:COVID-19_pandemic_data