CABINBIN, Pierre

CHEUNG, Sachie Daniela

DIONISIO, Azalea
LU, Andre
MADAYAG, Sarah Michaella
RIVERA, Renzo
SAMPANG, Anna Sophia
SUGUITAN, Gabriel

STEM 12-L

"COVID-19: A Plague to the Body, Heart, Mind, and Soul"

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new strain of

coronavirus. This new virus and infection were obscure before the outbreak ensuing in Wuhan,
China, last December 2019 (WHO Philippines, 2020). On January 30, 2020, the Philippine
Department of Health reported the first case of COVID-19 in the country, identifying a 38-year-
old female Chinese national who tested positive for the virus. On March 7, 2020, the horror
began for the Filipinos, as the first local transmission of COVID-19 was confirmed and
proclaimed.

COVID-19 is not only prevailing in our country; the virus continues to spread globally,
remaining to be the most significant health threat at the moment. The pandemics in the 20th and
21st centuries have either been caused by an influenza virus or a coronavirus. However, it is
discernible that the current coronavirus pandemic has a more significant impact than the 2003
SARS coronavirus pandemic (Gavi, 2020). COVID-19 affects people in varying ways; most of
them develop a mild to moderate illness that does not require hospitalization. Despite that, it has
been proven that it can be dangerous and fatal, causing more than 600,000 deaths worldwide.
Quarantine and isolation measures are being implemented in an attempt to limit the local,
regional, and global spread of this outbreak. Strict adherence to these measures has been
successful at controlling and diminishing the spread of infection in selected areas.
 It is already a well-established fact that COVID-19 is subjecting everyone's health
conditions at risk. Be that as it may, people must start to realize and become fully aware of its
repercussions in the other aspects of everyone's lives in the long run. The virus is not only
endangering ourselves in terms of our physical health, but also because it is considered a human,
economic, and significant social crisis. All segments of the population have exposure to the
COVID-19 virus, but it is particularly adverse to members of those social groups situated in the
most unsafe conditions.

The primary social issues involving COVID-19 may include the distance that it puts on
relationships between family members and friends and the fear that it instills into the minds of
different members of society. Due to its incredibly contagious nature, many countries, such as
the Philippines, have chosen to establish community quarantines and strict measures. This
approach inevitably leads to separated families and puts a great distance between people and
their loved ones. Although technology is readily available to most of the population and can help
fill the gap between loved ones, the Philippines is still a developing country. Thus, such
technology may not be as effective or reliable in more rural areas of the country. COVID-19 has
also introduced a feeling of anxiety and paranoia among the citizens of the country. It has
completely changed the lifestyle of most communities, forcing them to adapt to a new standard
and changing their usual way of living, including working from home and conducting classes
online. This unfamiliar atmosphere brings a considerable amount of stress on the mental well-
being and behavior of most people. The anxiety that these people experience can lead to feelings
of mistrust towards the decisions of the authorities, which can ultimately lead to a dysfunctional
society.

Another issue found involving COVID-19 is poverty. Not everyone can afford to adapt
to the new normal, where a lockdown is placed, preventing numerous labor work from being
executed. Many Filipinos do labor work where they come in contact with multiple people, such
as tricycle drivers, jeepney drivers, and service workers. In 2018, 16.6% of the Filipinos was
poor where their per capita income is insufficient to meet their basic food and non-food needs
(PSA, 2019). Meaning, 17.6 million Filipinos face this pandemic with already existing problems
on how to survive with their lack of resources.

On top of that, they now have to deal with the difficulties COVID-19 has brought.
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 requires the public to maintain proper hygiene and exercise
proper health inside and outside of our homes. The public advises us to steer clear on public
transportation, large gatherings, and hospitals when experiencing symptoms. The 17.6 million
Filipinos cannot afford these luxuries.

Also, due to the adaptation of the new normal, most people are forced to stay in their
respective homes, which results in local businesses having low to none income. Due to the
insufficient amount of revenue they collect, they are forced to let go of their workers as they
cannot give them their salary. This leads to a higher unemployment rate in the country. As the
individual lacks a source of income, sustaining for their families becomes challenging. In
addition, the rising unemployment rate due to worsening economic conditions brought about by
COVID-19 may cause a strain on an underprivileged's sense of morality, which may push them
to resort to committing crimes to survive.

Because of the poor's predicament and the lack of support the government is giving, they
cannot avoid staying at home, even though they have no means to attain the proper equipment
one should have to prevent the transmission of the virus. This increases their chances of infecting
themselves with the virus, primarily when most of them work in the service sector without
proper resources to combat the virus. When they become infected, they do not have the financial
capability to cover their hospital bills. This increases their debt and buries them further into
poverty. These individuals are also usually the only people their families depend on. As a result,
all of these people's families suffer as they cannot sustain their basic needs such as food, water,
electricity, or even a proper home.

As a student coming from a middle-class family, this pushes me further to fight for the
fundamental rights and needs of the less privileged. This includes the assurance that the public
officials do their jobs and that they are correctly compensating those who are in need. With our
resources, we can provide some of the things these people need to survive the COVID-19, such
as holding a donation drive or a petition. Furthermore, as an individual considered more
privileged than those people in the aforementioned sectors affected, this poses a never-ending
philosophical battle internally, at times, the willingness to help is triumphed by other limitations
set about by my lack of capabilities. It is also damaging emotionally for me since being aware of
other people's struggles while living in comfort makes me uneasy and in a state of unrest. I think
I should be doing something in my mind. As a student tasked to study well and become an
honorable child to my family, it is quite hard for me to focus on priorities set about by society
when there are other matters at large that need my attention. This need and will of mine
sometimes create a gap for those around me who believe that my priorities should be other
things.