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Filipinos face the mental toll of the Covid-19 pandemic — a photo essay

BY ORANGE OMENGAN

Depression, anxiety, and other mental health-related illnesses are on the rise among millennials as they face the pressure to be functional amidst pandemic fatigue. Omengan's photo essay shows three of the many stories of mental health battles, of struggling to stay afloat despite the inaccessibility of proper mental health services, which worsened due to the series of lockdowns in the Philippines.

"I was just starting with my new job, but the pandemic triggered much anxiety causing me to abandon my apartment in Pasig and move back to our family home in Mabalacat, Pampanga." 

This was Mano Dela Cruz's quick response to the initial round of lockdowns that swept the nation in March 2020. 

Anxiety crept up on Mano, who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type II with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder traits. The 30-year-old writer is just one of many Filipinos experiencing the mental health fallout of the pandemic. 

Covid-19 infections in the Philippines have reached 1,149,925 cases as of May 17. The pandemic is unfolding simultaneously with the growing number of Filipinos suffering from mental health issues. At least 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, according to Frances Prescila Cuevas, head of the National Mental Health Program under the Department of Health.

As the situation overwhelmed him, Mano had to let go of his full-time job. “At the start of the year, I thought I had my life all together, but this pandemic caused great mental stress on me, disrupting my routine and cutting my source of income,” he said. 

Mano has also found it difficult to stay on track with his medications. “I don’t have insurance, and I do not save much due to my medical expenses and psychiatric consultations. On a monthly average, my meds cost about P2,800. With my PWD (person with disability) card, I get to avail myself of the 20% discount, but it's still expensive. On top of this, I pay for psychiatric consultations costing P1,500 per session. During the pandemic, the rate increased to P2,500 per session lasting only 30 minutes due to health and safety protocols.”

The pandemic has resulted in substantial job losses as some businesses shut down, while the rest of the workforce adjusted to the new norm of working from home. 

Ryan Baldonado, 30, works as an assistant human resource manager in a business process outsourcing company. The pressure from work, coupled with stress and anxiety amid the community quarantine, took a toll on his mental health. 

Before the pandemic, Ryan said he usually slept for 30 hours straight, often felt under the weather, and at times subjected himself to self-harm. "Although the symptoms of depression have been manifesting in me through the years, due to financial concerns, I haven't been clinically diagnosed. I've been trying my best to be functional since I'm the eldest, and a lot is expected from me," he said.

As extended lockdowns put further strain on his mental health, Ryan mustered the courage to try his company's online employee counseling service. "The free online therapy with a psychologist lasted for six months, and it helped me address those issues interfering with my productivity at work," he said.

He was often told by family or friends: "Ano ka ba? Dapat mas alam mo na ‘yan. Psych graduate ka pa man din!" (As a psych graduate, you should know better!)

Ryan said such comments pressured him to act normally. But having a degree in psychology did not make one mentally bulletproof, and he was reminded of this every time he engaged in self-harming behavior and suicidal thoughts, he said.

"Having a degree in psychology doesn't save you from depression," he said. 

Depression and anxiety are on the rise among millennials as they face the pressure to perform and be functional amid pandemic fatigue. 

Karla Longjas, 27, is a freelance artist who was initially diagnosed with major depression in 2017. She could go a long time without eating, but not without smoking or drinking. At times, she would cut herself as a way to release suppressed emotions. Karla's mental health condition caused her to get hospitalized twice, and she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2019. 

"One of the essentials I had to secure during the onset of the lockdown was my medication, for fear of running out," Karla shared. 

With her family's support, Karla can afford mental health care. 

She has been spending an average of P10,000 a month on medication and professional fees for a psychologist and a psychiatrist. "The frequency of therapy depends on one's needs, and, at times, it involves two to three sessions a month," she added. 

Amid the restrictions of the pandemic, Karla said her mental health was getting out of hand. “I feel like things are getting even crazier, and I still resort to online therapy with my psychiatrist,” she said.

“I've been under medication for almost four years now with various psychologists and psychiatrists. I'm already tired of constantly searching and learning about my condition. Knowing that this mental health illness doesn't get cured but only gets manageable is wearing me out," she added.    In the face of renewed lockdowns, rising cases of anxiety, depression, and suicide, among others, are only bound to spark increased demand for mental health services.  

MANO DELA CRUZ

Writer Mano Dela Cruz, 30, is shown sharing stories of his manic episodes, describing the experience as being on ‘top of the world.’ Individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type II suffer more often from episodes of depression than hypomania. Depressive periods, ‘the lows,’ translate to feelings of guilt, loss of pleasure, low energy, and thoughts of suicide. 

Mano says the mess in his room indicates his disposition, whether he's in a manic or depressive state. "I know that I'm not stable when I look at my room and it's too cluttered. There are days when I don't have the energy to clean up and even take a bath,” he says. 

Mano was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type II in 2016, when he was in his mid-20s. His condition comes with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder traits, requiring lifelong treatment with antipsychotics and mood stabilizers such as antidepressants.

Mano resorts to biking as a form of exercise and to release feel-good endorphins, which helps combat depression, according to his psychiatrist.

Mano waits for his psychiatric consultation at a hospital in Angeles, Pampanga.

Mano shares a laugh with his sister inside their home. “It took a while for my family to understand my mental health illness,” he says. It took the same time for him to accept his condition.

RYAN BALDONADO

Ryan Baldonado, 30, shares his mental health condition in an online interview. Ryan is in quarantine after experiencing symptoms of Covid-19.

KARLA LONGJAS

Karla Longjas, 27, does a headstand during meditative yoga inside her room, which is filled with bottles of alcohol. Apart from her medications, she practices yoga to have mental clarity, calmness, and stress relief. 

Karla shares that in some days, she has hallucinations and tries to sketch them. 

In April 2019, Karla was inflicting harm on herself, leading to her two-week hospitalization as advised by her psychiatrist. In the same year, she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.  The stigma around her mental illness made her feel so uncomfortable that she had to use a fake name to hide her identity. 

Karla buys her prescriptive medications in a drug store. Individuals clinically diagnosed with a psychosocial disability can avail themselves of the 20% discount for persons with disabilities.

Karla Longjas is photographed at her apartment in Makati. Individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) exhibit symptoms such as self-harm, unstable relationships, intense anger, and impulsive or self-destructive behavior. BPD is a dissociative disorder that is not commonly diagnosed in the Philippines.

This story is one of the twelve photo essays produced under the Capturing Human Rights fellowship program, a seminar and mentoring project

organized by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and the Photojournalists' Center of the Philippines. 

Check the other photo essays here.

Larry Monserate Piojo – "Terminal: The constant agony of commuting amid the pandemic"

Orange Omengan – "Filipinos face the mental toll of the Covid-19 pandemic"

Lauren Alimondo – "In loving memory"

Gerimara Manuel – "Pinagtatagpi-tagpi: Mother, daughter struggle between making a living and modular learning"

Pau Villanueva – "Hinubog ng panata: The vanishing spiritual traditions of Aetas of Capas, Tarlac"

Bernice Beltran – "Women's 'invisible work'"

Dada Grifon – "From the cause"

Bernadette Uy – "Enduring the current"

Mark Saludes – "Mission in peril"

EC Toledo – "From sea to shelf: The story before a can is sealed"

Ria Torrente – "HIV positive mother struggles through the Covid-19 pandemic"

Sharlene Festin – "Paradise lost"

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

PRACTICE. Karla Longjas, 27, does a headstand during meditative yoga inside her room, which is filled with bottles of alcohol. Apart from her medications, she practices yoga to have mental clarity, calmness, and stress relief.

Orange Omengan

Omengan’s photo essay shows three of the many stories of mental health battles, of struggling to stay afloat despite the inaccessibility of proper mental health services, which worsened due to the series of lockdowns in the Philippines.

“I was just starting with my new job, but the pandemic triggered much anxiety, causing me to abandon my apartment in Pasig and move back to our family home in Mabalacat, Pampanga.” 

This was Mano dela Cruz’s quick response to the initial round of lockdowns that swept the nation in March 2020. 

Anxiety crept up on Mano, who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type II with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder traits. The 30-year-old writer is just one of many Filipinos experiencing the mental health fallout of the pandemic. 

COVID-19 infections in the Philippines have reached 1,149,925 cases as of May 17. The pandemic is unfolding simultaneously with the growing number of Filipinos suffering from mental health issues. At least 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, according to Frances Prescila Cuevas, head of the National Mental Health Program under the Department of Health.

As the situation overwhelmed him, Mano had to let go of his full-time job. “At the start of the year, I thought I had my life all together, but this pandemic caused great mental stress on me, disrupting my routine and cutting my source of income,” he said. 

Mano has also found it difficult to stay on track with his medications. “I don’t have insurance, and I do not save much due to my medical expenses and psychiatric consultations. On a monthly average, my meds cost about P2,800. With my PWD (person with disability) card, I get to avail myself of the 20% discount, but it’s still expensive. On top of this, I pay for psychiatric consultations costing P1,500 per session. During the pandemic, the rate increased to P2,500 per session lasting only 30 minutes due to health and safety protocols.”

The pandemic has resulted in substantial job losses as some businesses shut down, while the rest of the workforce adjusted to the new norm of working from home. 

Ryan Baldonado, 30, works as an assistant human resource manager in a business process outsourcing company. The pressure from work, coupled with stress and anxiety amid the community quarantine, took a toll on his mental health. 

Before the pandemic, Ryan said he usually slept for 30 hours straight, often felt under the weather, and at times subjected himself to self-harm. “Although the symptoms of depression have been manifesting in me through the years, due to financial concerns, I haven’t been clinically diagnosed. I’ve been trying my best to be functional since I’m the eldest, and a lot is expected from me,” he said.

As extended lockdowns put further strain on his mental health, Ryan mustered the courage to try his company’s online employee counseling service. “The free online therapy with a psychologist lasted for six months, and it helped me address those issues interfering with my productivity at work,” he said.

He was often told by family or friends: “Ano ka ba? Dapat mas alam mo na ‘yan. Psych graduate ka pa man din!” ( As a psych graduate, you should know better!)

Ryan said such comments pressured him to act normally. But having a degree in psychology did not make one mentally bulletproof, and he was reminded of this every time he engaged in self-harming behavior and suicidal thoughts, he said.

“Having a degree in psychology doesn’t save you from depression,” he said. 

Depression and anxiety are on the rise among millennials as they face the pressure to perform and be functional amid pandemic fatigue. 

Karla Longjas, 27, is a freelance artist who was initially diagnosed with major depression in 2017. She could go a long time without eating, but not without smoking or drinking. At times, she would cut herself as a way to release suppressed emotions. Karla’s mental health condition caused her to get hospitalized twice, and she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2019. 

“One of the essentials I had to secure during the onset of the lockdown was my medication, for fear of running out,” Karla shared. 

With her family’s support, Karla can afford mental health care. 

She has been spending an average of P10,000 a month on medication and professional fees for a psychologist and a psychiatrist. “The frequency of therapy depends on one’s needs, and, at times, it involves two to three sessions a month,” she added. 

Amid the restrictions of the pandemic, Karla said her mental health was getting out of hand. “I feel like things are getting even crazier, and I still resort to online therapy with my psychiatrist,” she said.

“I’ve been under medication for almost four years now with various psychologists and psychiatrists. I’m already tired of constantly searching and learning about my condition. Knowing that this mental health illness doesn’t get cured but only gets manageable is wearing me out,” she added. 

In the face of renewed lockdowns, rising cases of anxiety, depression, and suicide, among others, are only bound to spark increased demand for mental health services.

Mano dela Cruz

Ryan Baldonado

Karla Longjas

– Rappler.com

This piece is  republished with permission from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. 

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• Coronavirus Disease 2019

Filipino Responses to COVID-19

Research documents filipino panic responses to the global pandemic..

Posted April 30, 2020 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

• What Is Anxiety?
• Find a therapist to overcome anxiety

By Georgina Fairbrother

A recent study explored panic responses to COVID-19 in the Philippines. COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic and has caused mass lockdowns and closures across the globe. An angle relatively unexplored amidst this global pandemic is the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. The survey conducted was a mixed-method study that gathered qualitative and quantitative data in order to better explore the different dimensions of panic responses.

The survey was conducted through convenience sampling by online forms due to government-mandated limitations of social contact and urgency. The online survey ran for three days and gathered 538 responses. The average age of a survey participant was 23.82, with participants ranging in ages from 13-67. 47% of those who completed the survey were working, 45.4% were students and 7.6% were not working. Of those who completed the survey, 1.3% had witnessed direct exposure to a COVID-19 patient, while 26% had witnessed exposure within their community, and 72.7% had not been exposed.

For purposes of the survey, the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) Short Week was adapted in order to test illness anxiety on COVID-19 amongst Filipinos. The HAI had four main sections used in this survey: 1) Symptoms of health anxiety (hypochondriasis), 2) Attitudes towards how awful it would be to develop COVID-19, 3) Avoidance, and 4) Reassurance. Responses to questions answered within these areas were scored on a 0-3 basis, compromising the quantitative portion of the study. To complete the qualitative section of the survey three open-ended questions were used. The open-ended questions used for qualitative purposes in this survey were:

“1. What came to your mind when you knew the existence of COVID-19? 2. How do you feel when you know the existence of COVID-19? 3. What actions have you done with the knowledge of existence of COVID-19?”

Upon completion of the survey, researchers were able to analyze data in regard to five different areas. First, researchers discovered that it was very evident that respondents were experiencing moderate illness anxiety in all four aspects listed by HAI. Secondly, by comparing locations, researchers also discovered that respondents residing in Metro Manilla exhibited less avoidance behavior compared to respondents residing outside Metro Manilla. While there is no definitive reason for this result, speculation looms around education , awareness, and proximity to COVID-19 cases. Thirdly, researchers looked at occupation, but determined illness anxiety was present regardless of occupation. Fourthly, researchers determined that respondents who had been in direct contact with those having COVID-19 were more likely to exhibit symptoms of hypochondriasis compared to respondents who had not witnessed or contacted anyone with COVID-19.

The fifth area that researchers explored upon completion of this survey was that of feeling, thinking, and behavior in response to COVID-19. Nineteen different themes were ranked by 100 experts based on their positivity and negativity. The themes included items such as the following: Health Consciousness, Optimism , Cautiousness, Protection, Compliance, Composure, Information Dissemination, Worry on self/family/others, Relating to Past Pandemics, Anxiety, Government Blaming, Shock, Transmission of Virus, Fear, Sadness, Paranoia , Nihilism, Annihilation, and Indifference. Upon completion of the survey, the highest-scoring themes amongst respondents included Fear, Social Distancing, Health Consciousness, and Information Dissemination. Meanwhile, the lowest-scoring themes included Indifference and Nihilism.

Overall, COVID-19 has become a global pandemic that is continuing to move and spread across the world. In the aftermath of this pandemic, it will be interesting to compare the panic responses of different countries. The Philippines approaches this study from a more socially collectivist perspective. With that being said, it was reported that the Philippines leaned towards more individualistic tendencies in times of fear. Another area to look deeper into would include how panic responses change from the initial shock of COVID-19 to lockdown phases to re-emergence phases.

Georgina Fairbrother is a current master’s student in the Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership program at Wheaton College. Prior to her master’s degree, she received a bachelor’s degree in Global Security and Intelligence studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Nicomedes, C. J., & Avila, R. (2020). An Analysis on the Panic of Filipinos During COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17355.54565

Jamie Aten , Ph.D. , is the founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College.

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Workers’ suffering, strength bared in pandemic writings

COVID CHRONICLES In the e-book project of the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development, ordinary wage earners have their turns as essayists, poets, fictionists and witnesses to history at a time when pain and coping ought to be chronicled while still at their rawest. The anthology features the works of 67 authors, putting together a mosaic of the Philippine pandemic experience from the labor sector’s point of view. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — In the essay “Hindi Pa Maaring Lumabas Ang Mga Luha” (No Time Yet for Tears), college professor Angela Pamaos recalls how a student asked to be excused from their online class so he could get a permit to bury his parents’ ashes.

It is perhaps the most heartbreaking story in “Kuwentong COVID/Kuwentong Trabaho,” the electronic book of stories on the lives of Filipino workers in the age of COVID-19 that the workplace safety nonprofit Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (Iohsad) launched via Facebook and Zoom on May 26.

The student explained, while Pamaos was checking attendance, that it was the only day he could go to City Hall because the workers were on skeleton crew due to the pandemic: “Iyong abo nila Mama at Papa. Iyong pagpapalibing po … Ngayong araw lang po kasi pwede, dahil may schedule raw po sila … dahil sa COVID.”

Pamaos writes that she had to pull herself together, offer her condolences, and tell the student to take all the time he needed as she held back her tears.

Another teacher, Diane Capulong, writes of how she dealt with postpartum angst in between dozens of webinars in preparation for the distance learning decreed by the Department of Education.

Capulong empathizes with Grade 7 students confused by the concepts of modular learning, and recalls their sadness at being told that they would not receive their graduation diplomas onstage.

Sheila Cerilla describes her difficulty with matching children’s faces with the names of adult strangers whose social media accounts the young ones had borrowed so they could attend online classes.

Cathlea de Guzman writes of her hurt at comments that teachers were not actually working because they had been spared face-to-face classes with their pupils.

Written mostly in Filipino, the ebook also offers stories of office workers, health professionals, and jeepney drivers and other blue-collar toilers beset by the pandemic.

Teo S. Marasigan, columnist of the website Pinoy Weekly, edited the anthology of 67 essays, testimonies, short stories, poems and other forms. Dino Brucelas, graphic designer and instructor at the De La Salle College of St. Benilde, designed the cover.

Ordinary voices

The Iohsad observed that while the stories of prominent people and those with access to social media platforms go viral, those of ordinary workers hardly enjoy the same level of attention. In many instances, workers’ voices are even ignored or twisted.

“It is also important that we hear about the stories of workers in various sectors. They are the ones hit hardest by the pandemic, especially in terms of health, livelihood and human rights,” Iohsad executive director Nadia de Leon said in Filipino in an email interview.

In his introduction, Marasigan quotes a report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) dated Jan. 25, 2021, (www.ilo.org), saying that manpower hours lost to the pandemic in 2020 were equivalent to 225 million jobs worldwide, or more than four times the loss recorded during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis.

Per Marasigan, the ILO described the disruption in the global labor market as “historically unprecedented.” Data from advanced countries show that migrant workers employed there are most affected, with women more adversely affected than men, and the young experiencing more challenges than those older.

Overwhelmed

Expectedly, the world’s health sector is the most overwhelmed among industries, the ILO added.

Marasigan also presents figures from Ibon Foundation. He quotes Ibon executive director Sonny Africa, who noted in a report dated Dec. 30, 2020, that while unemployment in the Philippines was already highest in history before the pandemic, employment in 2020 was the lowest in four years.

In October 2020, Ibon said there were more than 5.8 million unemployed Filipinos and an additional 2 million were disheartened and decided to stop looking for work (“pinanghinaan ng loob”).

Marasigan quotes data from the Department of Labor and Employment that more than 500,000 overseas Filipino workers lost their jobs (“nawalan ng trabaho”) and were repatriated, and more than 600,000 were laid off (“natanggal sa trabaho”) because of the pandemic.

De Leon said the e-book contributors “present not only personal stories of suffering and strength, but [also] working people’s collective experiences and challenges—layoff, anxiety, lack of cash aid and social protection, poor working conditions, labor rights abuses brought about by the government’s inept COVID-19 response, and problems in the country’s economy.”

Tatay Elmer, etc.

Emily Barrey, a union officer in an electronics company based in Laguna, writes about how she was fired for letting four other women get on an all-seats-taken company shuttle.

It was late, Barrey writes, and there was no telling if the women would be safe while waiting for another vehicle, or whether one would arrive at all. Her judgment call was used as an excuse to fire her for violating physical distancing protocols.

PJ Dizon, an agricultural worker in Compostela Valley, narrates how health protocols caused much anxiety among his colleagues, especially after one company ordered a work stoppage when a union officer tested positive for the coronavirus.

It so happened that union and management were in the middle of collective bargaining talks when the stoppage was announced, he writes.

One of the e-book’s highlights is the first-person narration of Tatay Elmer Cordero, at 72 the oldest among the jeepney drivers arrested in Caloocan City in 2020, supposedly for violating physical distancing protocols.

He and the other “Piston 6” drivers were demanding that the government allow them to ply their routes.

Cordero talks about being angry at the government for being inconsiderate to the poor. He lashes at the decision to detain him along with “common criminals” while he was fighting for his livelihood.

While his wife questioned his insistence on expressing his views against the government, he maintained that it was necessary because authorities had been so unfair, he says.

But not all the stories in the e-book are sad.

Arnel Noval, resident faculty member of Cebu Technological University, writes in “COVID-19 Fake News” of his parents’ haste to repair their roof and cover all household items after learning of a supposed plan for a military chopper to spray pesticide from a height as a disease prevention measure.

Lawyer Dennis Sabado has a short story about a “Cabinet secretary” who likes boys and who uses a five-star hotel suite for sexual trysts. The official, described in such detail as to allude to a real person, harbors dreams of becoming a senator someday. The Iohsad said it was a work of fiction.

De Leon said ordinary workers must be encouraged to tell their stories because “nobody else can narrate their experiences better than themselves.”

“We realize that we cannot simply keep these stories in our laptop files, or make these part of social media posts which will be buried into oblivion by other posts. These stories need to be released to the public in a way that they can be retained and returned to, in a way that readers can savor every word and message,” she said.

Aid for moving forward

The Iohsad also noted that in consultations with workers, sharing their stories—whether oral or written—proved helpful.

“If we allow them the space and opportunity to say what they are going through, we hope that in some way this would also help them cope and move forward,” De Leon said.

The Iohsad said the book may be downloaded for free starting on May 31.

“We compiled the stories to help readers understand what workers are really going through. Also, we hope that by presenting these stories, people would be more supportive of their demands for adequate wages, protection, ‘ayuda’ and better working environments,” De Leon said, adding:

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“We hope that by doing this, we help empower workers.”

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Sákit Pighati and Pag-asa: A Pastoral Reflection on Suffering During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines

Affiliation.

• 1 Theology and Religious Education Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines. [email protected].
• PMID: 33772688
• PMCID: PMC8000686
• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01234-5

This article explores the concept of suffering as experienced by Filipinos during the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws inspiration from their narratives about how they faced, managed, and struggled during this tragic event. Their experiences were interpreted and analyzed concerning Filipino culture and tradition using a modified form of thematic analysis. Findings revealed three contextualized themes: sákit (pain), pighati (grief), and pag-asa (hope). These themes are then discussed in the light of John Paul II's Salvifici Doloris. A meaningful pastoral reflection on the basic realities of suffering is formulated to clarify our understanding of such a crisis.

Keywords: COVID-19; Filipino; Hope; Redemption; Suffering.

• Philippines

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Home > History Community Special Collections > Remembering COVID-19 Community Archive > Community Reflections > 21

Community Reflections

My life experience during the covid-19 pandemic.

Melissa Blanco Follow

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Affiliation with sacred heart university.

Undergraduate, Class of 2024

My content explains what my life was like during the last seven months of the Covid-19 pandemic and how it affected my life both positively and negatively. It also explains what it was like when I graduated from High School and how I want the future generations to remember the Class of 2020.

Class assignment, Western Civilization (Dr. Marino).

Recommended Citation

Blanco, Melissa, "My Life Experience During the Covid-19 Pandemic" (2020). Community Reflections . 21. https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/covid19-reflections/21

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Essay on COVID-19 Pandemic

As a result of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, daily life has been negatively affected, impacting the worldwide economy. Thousands of individuals have been sickened or died as a result of the outbreak of this disease. When you have the flu or a viral infection, the most common symptoms include fever, cold, coughing up bone fragments, and difficulty breathing, which may progress to pneumonia. It’s important to take major steps like keeping a strict cleaning routine, keeping social distance, and wearing masks, among other things. This virus’s geographic spread is accelerating (Daniel Pg 93). Governments restricted public meetings during the start of the pandemic to prevent the disease from spreading and breaking the exponential distribution curve. In order to avoid the damage caused by this extremely contagious disease, several countries quarantined their citizens. However, this scenario had drastically altered with the discovery of the vaccinations. The research aims to investigate the effect of the Covid-19 epidemic and its impact on the population’s well-being.

There is growing interest in the relationship between social determinants of health and health outcomes. Still, many health care providers and academics have been hesitant to recognize racism as a contributing factor to racial health disparities. Only a few research have examined the health effects of institutional racism, with the majority focusing on interpersonal racial and ethnic prejudice Ciotti et al., Pg 370. The latter comprises historically and culturally connected institutions that are interconnected. Prejudice is being practiced in a variety of contexts as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In some ways, the outbreak has exposed pre-existing bias and inequity.

Thousands of businesses are in danger of failure. Around 2.3 billion of the world’s 3.3 billion employees are out of work. These workers are especially susceptible since they lack access to social security and adequate health care, and they’ve also given up ownership of productive assets, which makes them highly vulnerable. Many individuals lose their employment as a result of lockdowns, leaving them unable to support their families. People strapped for cash are often forced to reduce their caloric intake while also eating less nutritiously (Fraser et al, Pg 3). The epidemic has had an impact on the whole food chain, revealing vulnerabilities that were previously hidden. Border closures, trade restrictions, and confinement measures have limited farmer access to markets, while agricultural workers have not gathered crops. As a result, the local and global food supply chain has been disrupted, and people now have less access to healthy foods. As a consequence of the epidemic, many individuals have lost their employment, and millions more are now in danger. When breadwinners lose their jobs, become sick, or die, the food and nutrition of millions of people are endangered. Particularly severely hit are the world’s poorest small farmers and indigenous peoples.

Infectious illness outbreaks and epidemics have become worldwide threats due to globalization, urbanization, and environmental change. In developed countries like Europe and North America, surveillance and health systems monitor and manage the spread of infectious illnesses in real-time. Both low- and high-income countries need to improve their public health capacities (Omer et al., Pg 1767). These improvements should be financed using a mix of national and foreign donor money. In order to speed up research and reaction for new illnesses with pandemic potential, a global collaborative effort including governments and commercial companies has been proposed. When working on a vaccine-like COVID-19, cooperation is critical.

The epidemic has had an impact on the whole food chain, revealing vulnerabilities that were previously hidden. Border closures, trade restrictions, and confinement measures have limited farmer access to markets, while agricultural workers have been unable to gather crops. As a result, the local and global food supply chain has been disrupted, and people now have less access to healthy foods (Daniel et al.,Pg 95) . As a consequence of the epidemic, many individuals have lost their employment, and millions more are now in danger. When breadwinners lose their jobs, the food and nutrition of millions of people are endangered. Particularly severely hit are the world’s poorest small farmers and indigenous peoples.

While helping to feed the world’s population, millions of paid and unpaid agricultural laborers suffer from high levels of poverty, hunger, and bad health, as well as a lack of safety and labor safeguards, as well as other kinds of abuse at work. Poor people, who have no recourse to social assistance, must work longer and harder, sometimes in hazardous occupations, endangering their families in the process (Daniel Pg 96). When faced with a lack of income, people may turn to hazardous financial activities, including asset liquidation, predatory lending, or child labor, to make ends meet. Because of the dangers they encounter while traveling, working, and living abroad; migrant agricultural laborers are especially vulnerable. They also have a difficult time taking advantage of government assistance programs.

The pandemic also has a significant impact on education. Although many educational institutions across the globe have already made the switch to online learning, the extent to which technology is utilized to improve the quality of distance or online learning varies. This level is dependent on several variables, including the different parties engaged in the execution of this learning format and the incorporation of technology into educational institutions before the time of school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many years, researchers from all around the globe have worked to determine what variables contribute to effective technology integration in the classroom Ciotti et al., Pg 371. The amount of technology usage and the quality of learning when moving from a classroom to a distant or online format are presumed to be influenced by the same set of variables. Findings from previous research, which sought to determine what affects educational systems ability to integrate technology into teaching, suggest understanding how teachers, students, and technology interact positively in order to achieve positive results in the integration of teaching technology (Honey et al., 2000). Teachers’ views on teaching may affect the chances of successfully incorporating technology into the classroom and making it a part of the learning process.

In conclusion, indeed, Covid 19 pandemic have affected the well being of the people in a significant manner. The economy operation across the globe have been destabilized as most of the people have been rendered jobless while the job operation has been stopped. As most of the people have been rendered jobless the living conditions of the people have also been significantly affected. Besides, the education sector has also been affected as most of the learning institutions prefer the use of online learning which is not effective as compared to the traditional method. With the invention of the vaccines, most of the developed countries have been noted to stabilize slowly, while the developing countries have not been able to vaccinate most of its citizens. However, despite the challenge caused by the pandemic, organizations have been able to adapt the new mode of online trading to be promoted.

Ciotti, Marco, et al. “The COVID-19 pandemic.”  Critical reviews in clinical laboratory sciences  57.6 (2020): 365-388.

Daniel, John. “Education and the COVID-19 pandemic.”  Prospects  49.1 (2020): 91-96.

Fraser, Nicholas, et al. “Preprinting the COVID-19 pandemic.”  BioRxiv  (2021): 2020-05.

Omer, Saad B., Preeti Malani, and Carlos Del Rio. “The COVID-19 pandemic in the US: a clinical update.”  Jama  323.18 (2020): 1767-1768.

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COVID-19 ‘Radically’ Changed the Leading Causes of Death

COVID-19 became the second leading cause of death globally in the year after it was declared a pandemic, according to a study published in the Lancet .

While heart disease remained the top killer, COVID “radically altered” the main five causes of death for the first time in 30 years, displacing stroke, the publication said. In 2021, 94 in every 100,000 people died from COVID, on an age-standardized basis.

Since 1990, global life expectancy increased by 6.2 years, mainly due to reductions in death from diarrhea and lower respiratory infections and better outcomes for people suffering from a stroke or ischemic heart disease.

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“Our study presents a nuanced picture of the world’s health,” said Liane Ong, co-first author of the study and a lead research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. “On one hand, we see countries’ monumental achievements in preventing deaths from diarrhea and stroke. At the same time, we see how much the COVID-19 pandemic has set us back.”

From 2019 to 2021, progress was made in preventing deaths for most other top causes of death except for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and malaria.

The study is thought to be the first that compared deaths from COVID to deaths from other causes. It tracked 288 causes of death in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations.

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When the “heroes” “don’t feel cared for”: The migration and resignation of Philippine nurses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

As socio-economic activities re-open and societies re-emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, collective and effective COVID-19 responses among nations must be sustained. For this to occur, the needs and challenges of health care workers as essential parts of health systems and as central actors of the collective COVID-19 response must be addressed. While previous discussions and reports have focused on health issues such as burnout and depression [ 1 ], it is also essential to look into their rights, freedoms, and living conditions, as these may not only affect their health and well-being, but also their decision to partake in societal COVID-19 responses.

In this regard, this paper centres on the importance of upholding the rights, freedoms, and just living conditions of health care workers as exemplified by the situation of Filipino nurses in the Philippine health care system amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The world faced the pandemic with a global shortage of nurses of about 5.9 million [ 2 ]. Asia is among the regions with the lowest density of nurses in the world, despite having countries that largely supply nurses in other regions [ 2 ]. The Philippines alone supplied about 240 000 nurses to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with an outflow of 15 000 to 20 000 nurses per year. This made the Philippines the largest supplier of nurses to OECD countries [ 2 ]. The high nurse-to-patient ratio and low wages were among the common reasons for Filipino nurses to work in other countries [ 2 ]. While it gave rise to a global diaspora of Filipino nurses, it also resulted in a low number and unequal distribution of nurses in the Philippines [ 2 ]. This migration and resignation of Filipino nurses from the Philippine health care system may have accelerated during the pandemic.

FILIPINO NURSES AMIDST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

One year into the pandemic, recent news reports in the Philippines highlighted that Filipino nurses are resigning to work abroad. In the first two to three weeks of October 2021 alone, it was noted that about 5% to 10% of nurses working in private hospitals have resigned [ 3 ]. In another 2021 news report, a hospital director in a city mentioned that their nursing staff had decreased from 200 to 63 over the past year [ 4 ]. Overall, about 40% of nurses in private hospitals have resigned since the pandemic began [ 3 ]. Thus, hospitals in the Philippines may be understaffed due to the dwindling number of nurses during the pandemic.

Among the commonly cited reasons for the resignation remained to be low wages. An entry-level nurse working in a public hospital starts with a monthly salary of about PHP33 575 (about US$670), while those working in private hospitals may start with as little as PHP8000 (about US$160) [ 4 ]. These wages may not be enough to cover the cost of living in the Philippines. For example, the estimated cost of living in Metro Manila, the largest Philippine metropolitan area, is PHP50 798 (about US$1080) [ 5 ]. Some of the nurses even go to work without benefits and hazard pay, despite the heightened health risks and threats during the pandemic [ 4 ].

Photo: Filipino nurses’ daily routine during the COVID-19 pandemic (from Rowalt Alibudbud’s personal collection, used with permission).

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO THE PLIGHT OF NURSES

Despite the need for livable wages and just benefits for Filipino nurses, the Philippine government responded by banning and limiting them from living and working abroad, so they could serve as a “reserve force” as the country navigates through the pandemic. This deployment ban was largely questioned due to its possible unconstitutionality, violation of the right to travel and earn a living wage and negative effect on the Philippine economy [ 6 ].

Nonetheless, some improvements have been done, such as the additional PHP500 (about US$10) daily allowance for health care workers who care for patients with COVID-19. However, its implementation has been met with confusion, dismay, and disappointment [ 7 , 8 ]. For instance, a 2020 news report showed that the daughter of a nurse who died from COVID-19 was appalled and dismayed when she claimed her mother’s hazard pay amounting to PHP7000 (about US$140) since she expected to receive PHP30 000 (about US$600) [ 7 ]. This was because the previously announced government daily allowance was reduced to PHP64 (about US$1.5) after it was adjusted for their city’s health budget and mandated deductions [ 7 ]. Amidst these news reports and the resignation of nurses, several health care worker groups have also highlighted that they were being forced to work long hours and had an inconsistent supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) [ 7 ].

A year after, the situation had seemingly remained the same, as disclosed by health care groups, with nurses forgoing their meals and bathroom breaks to save on PPEs. Moreover, it was reported that the promised additional compensation for health care workers had not been paid out. To them, “their working conditions are no longer humane” [ 8 ]. Thus, Filipino nurses seemed to be domestic captives in their own country. The barriers to escape are generally invisible and take form as economic, social, and legal subordination.

RESIGNATION AND MIGRATION: SENTIMENTS AND RESPONSES OF FILIPINO NURSES

Given the chronic understaffing, low wages, unsafe working conditions, and deployment bans, Filipino nurses have expressed their exhaustion and dismay with statements such as “We don't feel cared for” and “We feel exhausted...but we always keep in mind that we have to help our people because...no one else will” [ 3 , 4 ]. Eventually, some of them may leave the profession or try to go abroad since “it's really not worth being a nurse at home” [ 4 ]. This seemed to be the sentiment of nurses and other health care worker groups who have announced their mass resignation from the Philippine health care system amidst the COVID-19 pandemic [ 8 ]. While some were able to migrate, remaining nurses in the Philippines, as seen in private hospitals [ 4 ], may leave their profession to escape their seeming domestic captivity and socio-economic hardships amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, Filipino nurses may be free when they no longer work as “nurses”.

THE EFFECT OF THE RESIGNATION AND MIGRATION OF FILIPINO NURSES ON THE LOCAL COVID-19 RESPONSE

This flight of health care workers from health care institutions in the Philippines had severely affected the local COVID-19 response [ 3 , 4 ]. In 2021, hospitals in the country have already started to downsize their operations, not because of the lack of facilities or health equipment, but because of the lack of health care workers. Thus, despite the decreasing trends of COVID-19 in the country, hospitals remained fully occupied [ 3 , 4 ]. If allowed to worsen, the health care system may be overwhelmed by a new COVID-19 wave.

HONOUR AND VALUE AS “HEROES”

Generally, while health care workers have been hailed as “heroes” in the recent pandemic [ 9 ], honour without just wages, adequate staffing, and livable conditions will not sustain the responses to COVID-19. Given this, governments, policymakers, and health care institutions must be ever cognizant of the rights and needs of nurses and other health care workers. If these are not addressed, health care workers, as exemplified by the resignation of Filipino nurses, may leave their profession and institutions to seek opportunities where their work is valued, and their rights are upheld. As a result, health care systems may collapse in the face of a tremendously challenging situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic. There is, therefore, a need to reflect the health care heroes’ honour and value in specific programs and policies implemented amidst the pandemic. Overall, the resignation and migration of Filipino nurses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic may not only be an issue related to health and well-being but also rights and justice. Nonetheless, it must be addressed.

Funding: None declared.

Authorship contribution: RA is the sole author.

Competing interests: The author completed the ICMJE Unified Competing Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and declares no conflicts of interest.

Sanaysay Tungkol Sa COVID-19 – Maikling Sanaysay Ukol Sa Pandemya

Halimbawa ng sanaysay tungkol sa covid-19.

SANAYSAY TUNGKOL SA COVID-19 – Sa panahong ito, milyun-milyong Pilipino ang naapektuhan ng pandemyag COVID-19.

Sa paksang ito, magbibigay kami ng maikling sanaysay tungkol sa pandemya at sa mga katotohanang ipinakita nito sa ating mga kababayan.

Pandemya, Ang Masakit na Katotohanan

Pagdating ng balita tungkol sa COVID-19, hindi natin sineryoso. Pinapasok ang mga dayuhan kahit na ito’y delikado. Pinagtawanan natin ginawa lamang na balita, sinabihang kumain tayo ng saging at palakasin lamang ang resistensiya.

Ngunit hindi ito naging sapat at padami lamang ng padami ang mga kaso nito sa Pilipinas. Subalit, sinasabihan pa rin ang publiko na kontrolado ang sitwasyon at walang kailangang ikatakot.

Iyon naman ay maiitindihan, ayaw natin ng kaguluhan. Magdudulot lamang ito ng karagdagang problema sa ating lipunan. Pero sana naman ay binigyang pansin ang tawag ng mga experto tungkol sa sakit.

Ang katotohanan ay hindi tayo handa. Ang katotohanan ay hindi sapat ang ating ginawa para mapigilan ang pagdaragsa ng sakit buong Pilipinas na ang nakakaranas. Masakit mang isipin pero sa kasalukuyang panahon wala nang makakatakas.

Eto ang katotohanan na dapat nating intindihin. Dapat nating pag-aralan at dapat nating seryosohin. Mga doktor, nurse, at mga tauhang medical, araw araw ang sakripisyo para lamang sa atin.

Pero ang masakit na katotohanan ay ang karamihan sa kanila ay napabayaan. Marami na ang namatay, pero hanggang ngayun, hustisya pa rin ay ipinaglalaban.

Masakit nga ang katotohanan, pero paano tayo makakatulong? Iyon dapat ang tanong natin sa ating sarili. Hindi bakuna ang dapat hanapin kundi tamang sistema. Dahil pag may tamang sistema susunod na ng mabilisan ang disiplina.

Masakit man ang katotohanan pero mahirap nang ibalik ang dati nating buhay. Subalit kailangan nating magkaisa para malabanan ang pandemya.

BASAHIN RIN: Wika Sa Lipunan – Mga Gamit At Kahalagahan Ng Wika Sa Komunidad

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