PANDEMIA KA LANG, I AM A FILIPINO

Filipinos are known to be very resilient at any situation that they are in. These past few months have been a huge challenge for a pandemic had arrived in the country. A lot of changes have occurred since most part of the world were put under lockdown. Jobs had been paused and schools had been closed forcing employees to work at home and for students to pursue online classes as an alternative mode of learning. Everyone is advised to stay home, avoid contact, and be quarantined.

COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a disease caused by new strain of coronavirus formerly known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Its symptoms includes fever, cough, and shortness of breath that can cause pneumonia and can rarely be fatal. This can be transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person and through touching surfaces that have been contaminated. The major at risk for this disease are the ones with weak immune systems such as old people, children, and people with chronic medical conditions.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

The outbreak emerged in Wuhan, China and spread around the world including the Philippines. Philippines has been open to Chinese people since its culture influence to them, causing a major risk when it comes to transmission of the virus. The sudden rise in COVID-19 cases imposed an implementation of travel ban from China to Philippines. Unfortunately, it’s already too late.

On January 30, a 39-year-old female of the Chinese couple nationals on vacation in the Philippines, had symptoms of cough and sore throat and was admitted to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. Coronavirus was reported to be detected by PCR on the initial swabs and she was identified as the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the Philippines. Her symptoms resolved, and she was discharged. Not long after that event, cases in the Philippines started to rise due to various causes making the Government to impose a lockdown.

Everyone is prohibited to go outside and interact with other people. They were advised to stay at home and observe proper health measures. Workers started to come up with an alternative to sustain their family’s needs, while students opted to pursue online class as a mode of learning. Despite these actions, COVID-19 cases still inflated.

For the time being, Philippines is still under quarantine but it is not as strict as the past few months. People of right ages can now go outside but they should observe proper social distancing with protective equipment such as masks and face shields, and must perform health measures. Students are still at home on their online classes while some employees already started working outside. Online shopping became prominent as for this is the only way people can shop safely. This is the new normal that has been talked lately. It might be too hard for everyone, but it left them no choice but to adapt.

AWARENESS OF ONESELF

With the global pandemic in progress and continually growing, it is better for us to be extra understanding and be mindful not only to ourselves but with what is happening around us as well. This pandemic had been a huge challenge to everyone. As a student, I believe that we can overcome this challenge if we conduct some preparations. It is given that we only have limited resources and knowledge about COVID-19, but it is recommended if we use the best out of it. There are a lot of articles and information that can be found about the virus through the internet and different social media platforms. It is better to know something than nothing. These information will give us an idea what to practice during the pandemic. If we are aware of its origin, background, symptoms, and effects, we can easily protect ourselves from having one. In that case, we can also share our knowledge and help other people to protect themselves as well.

WHAT TO DO?

As a Filipino Youth, we admit that we have a limited opportunity and power when it comes to these situations. But that doesn’t stop us from doing our parts as youth. We are the next generation that will govern our country that’s why it is our responsibility to take care and preserve our surroundings. We can only do that in our own way—— with the help of social media. Our generation grew up with these developed and high-technologies that makes it easier for us to do things. As a technology literate, we can use our platforms to share factual information and be updated regarding the current events. In this manner, we can be able to share knowledge about the virus while learning it ourselves. Using these platforms can help raise awareness that can lessen the possibility of people to get infected. Always remember that staying informed is better than doing nothing to protect your nation.

Aside from that, we can also help lessen the chance of getting infected by taking care of ourselves. It is a fact that this pandemic had been tough and very exhausting, but we should keep in mind the importance of protecting ourselves. When life gets hard, it is okay to rest and do nothing. Self-care is the most important thing that you can give to yourself. By doing this, you are not only helping yourself, but you are helping others for giving positive energy as well. This will create a connection with you and other people that can lift up your spirits making you in good shape that can help resist the virus.

Lastly, help in ways that we can. Anything is valid. There is no such thing as small or big help. In fact, lots of donation drives lead by the government and different organizations are now. We can donate anything to these drives, but it is encouraged to donate packed foods, clothes, and money for there is still a pandemic and it would be greatly appreciated especially to the victims of the recent typhoon.

REFERENCES:

• https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/key-messages-and-actions-for-covid-19-prevention-and-control-in-schools-march-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=baf81d52_4#:~:text=COVID%2D19%20is%20a,2019%2DnCoV.’
• https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2500114-overview#:~:text=Coronavirus%20disease%202019%20(COVID%2D19)%20is%20defined%20as%20illness,City%2C%20Hubei%20Province%2C%20China.
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7154063/#:~:text=On%20January%2030%2C%20SARS%2DCoV,fever%2C%20cough%2C%20and%20chills.
• https://www.dovepress.com/awareness-perceptions-and-attitude-regarding-coronavirus-disease-2019–peer-reviewed-article-OPTH