These are uncertain and scary times. The world is facing a pandemic, the likes of which most of us have never seen before. There have been other epidemics earlier in the 21st century but none of them had the same global impact as COVID-19. Many countries have implemented lockdowns and quarantines to slow down the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The Philippines also implemented a Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in mid-March that limits the movement of people.
As of March 31, more than 750,000 people all over the world have been infected and more than 36,000 people have died from the virus. In the Philippines, more than 2000 have been infected so far and 88 have died. What makes this epidemic very difficult to manage is that there is no cure nor vaccine yet. While healthy people can survive an infection, senior citizens and immunocompromised people are extremely vulnerable to the virus. The high volume of patients means that hospitals are now struggling to accommodate people who are or may be infected. This truly is an extremely difficult and even desperate time.
The Philippines and other developing countries are even more negatively impacted. The ECQ has forced most businesses to implement work-from-home if they can or temporarily shut down operations if they can't. This means that many people are unable to work and are now struggling financially. Some essential services such as markets, supermarkets, drugstores, food providers, and banks are allowed to remain open. However, because public transportation has been suspended, people who need to move around, such as healthcare workers or people who need to go to the hospital, have great difficulty doing so.
While social distancing is important to flatten the curve, it has also exposed socioeconomic issues. The affluent, and to some degree even the middle class, are able to manage (some better than others). I am very fortunate to be in this category. Many of us work in companies that still pay us regular salaries and provide us the option to work-from-home, we have vehicles that allow us to travel without having to interact with others, we have the means to buy lots of supplies and medicine so that we don't need to go out of our homes too much, and we have enough funds to keep us afloat throughout the quarantine. Sadly, the same cannot be said for our underprivileged countrymen and women who are now grappling with fear and hunger. I cannot even begin to imagine how frightened, anxious, stressed, and hungry they must be. :(
This pandemic and the global crisis that has come with it has left me very heartbroken: for the people who have succumbed to this COVID-19 or are fighting it right now, for the healthcare workers who are overworked and who risk getting infected themselves, for the underprivileged who have no work, no money, and no means to buy food and essentials, for those who are dealing with anxiety and depression, and for everyone else impacted by this disease. At this point, I feel the only thing I can do is donate to relief efforts and pray. I just hope that a cure and a vaccine can be found soon.
As of March 31, more than 750,000 people all over the world have been infected and more than 36,000 people have died from the virus. In the Philippines, more than 2000 have been infected so far and 88 have died. What makes this epidemic very difficult to manage is that there is no cure nor vaccine yet. While healthy people can survive an infection, senior citizens and immunocompromised people are extremely vulnerable to the virus. The high volume of patients means that hospitals are now struggling to accommodate people who are or may be infected. This truly is an extremely difficult and even desperate time.
The Philippines and other developing countries are even more negatively impacted. The ECQ has forced most businesses to implement work-from-home if they can or temporarily shut down operations if they can't. This means that many people are unable to work and are now struggling financially. Some essential services such as markets, supermarkets, drugstores, food providers, and banks are allowed to remain open. However, because public transportation has been suspended, people who need to move around, such as healthcare workers or people who need to go to the hospital, have great difficulty doing so.
While social distancing is important to flatten the curve, it has also exposed socioeconomic issues. The affluent, and to some degree even the middle class, are able to manage (some better than others). I am very fortunate to be in this category. Many of us work in companies that still pay us regular salaries and provide us the option to work-from-home, we have vehicles that allow us to travel without having to interact with others, we have the means to buy lots of supplies and medicine so that we don't need to go out of our homes too much, and we have enough funds to keep us afloat throughout the quarantine. Sadly, the same cannot be said for our underprivileged countrymen and women who are now grappling with fear and hunger. I cannot even begin to imagine how frightened, anxious, stressed, and hungry they must be. :(
This pandemic and the global crisis that has come with it has left me very heartbroken: for the people who have succumbed to this COVID-19 or are fighting it right now, for the healthcare workers who are overworked and who risk getting infected themselves, for the underprivileged who have no work, no money, and no means to buy food and essentials, for those who are dealing with anxiety and depression, and for everyone else impacted by this disease. At this point, I feel the only thing I can do is donate to relief efforts and pray. I just hope that a cure and a vaccine can be found soon.
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