EDORA, Maria Alena A.

May 26, 2020

2015-07796 Physics 166

Reflection essay on the COVID-19 pandemic

What I observe in our community

COVID-19 pandemic has affected all Filipinos in all walks of life. A lot of people, rich or poor,
have lost their loved ones from the virus. The virus does not choose the status of the next
person it's gonna infect; we are all susceptible to it. But in our economy, the ones who are
gravely affected are those who are financially incapable in this time and whose living depended
on the norm before the pandemic happened. For example: jeepney drivers, street vendors,
people who live in crowded communities, etc. The abrupt announcement in lockdown measures
and insufficient distribution of information about the virus have caught them unprepared in this
hard time. Because of this, they are having a harder time facing the “new normal” than people
who are privileged enough to have a comfortable couch in their homes. Aside from this, the
economy of our country was also seriously affected. A lot of companies have filed for
bankruptcy because of the pandemic. This results in a lot of people who will be laid off and
become jobless just like my sister’s friend. She is the breadwinner of their family and she was
laid off by her company because their company is not capable of sustaining all their workers in
this crisis.

So far, the government has created regulations and measures to contain the pandemic
like the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). This is effective to all municipalities in Metro
Manila. Caloocan City, where I am currently staying, also implemented these measures strictly
at first. In addition to this, our barangay officials also provided help through relief goods and
mobile ​palengke​. So far, we have received only three boxes of relief goods from the barangay.
For us, it is okay since we are privileged enough to buy additional resources outside. However,
for others who lost their jobs and are struggling financially in this crisis, it is not enough;
especially when you have a family to feed.

From what I observe from the news and my community, the unpreparedness of our
country in this kind of situation and the incompetence of the government officials to handle this
crisis are evident. There are so many available solutions that can contain the damage of the
pandemic and it is explicitly told by a lot of people who are crying for immediate solutions.
Instead of hearing them out, the government sees it as an attack to their egos. It is very irritating
to watch how they keep diverting their attention from the main issue just to eliminate the small
issues that are mainly criticisms regarding how they handle the crisis. Instead of focusing on
containing the pandemic, the government focuses on how to shut the voices who practically
advise them what to do in this crisis. All I can say is that if they are finding ways to silence the
criticisms, the only way is to listen to them. This is not the time for being such immature
individuals. This is the time for empathy and unity. All we must do is listen to the call of those
who are in need.

How the pandemic affects me

I am privileged to be with my family in this pandemic with enough resources for us to live
through this crisis. Because of this, I get guilty of how others are suffering in this crisis while I
enjoy the comfort of my home and my resources. The pandemic made me reflect about a lot of
things in life including how life is unfair. I read news about a girl who was not tested because the
hospital did not want to test her, and she died after; while “others” who are in no need of testing
got tested immediately. When I went out to buy groceries for my family, I saw people holding
placards with words like “Humihingi po ako ng konting tulong para sa pagkain ng pamilya ko.”
written on them. And I feel guilty because the least I can do was give them a small amount of
money which is obviously not enough to feed a family. Our resources are not enough to help
people in this time of crisis so the least I can do is to lock myself in our home and lessen my
chances of being infected.

In this time, I also realized how fleeting a person’s life is. It gave me the chance to think
about my decisions in life and made me find what I really want to do in life. In a way, the
pandemic was an eye-opener to me, and I became more self-aware. This has been a break
from the usual hustle and bustle of the world. It gave me time to think about things that I can
control and cannot control and how I should focus more on the former to survive this world; at
the same time, without losing the care for other people who are in need.

What Scientific concept can be applied to the pandemic

Optics have various contributions when it comes to mitigating the effects of the COVID-19
disease especially on mass testing. This includes the initial process of detecting people infected
by the virus through symptoms like fever. One of the examples is the use of non-contact
thermometers. These are infrared thermometers that use the concept of blackbody radiation to
operate. An object with higher temperature above absolute zero means a higher average kinetic
energy of the particles. As the particles move around, they emit infrared radiation (a type of
radiation with longer wavelengths than visible light). Just like visible light, this radiation can be
reflected and absorbed. The thermometer detects this radiation by using a lens to focus the
infrared waves to a detector called thermopile. As a result, the thermopile absorbs the radiation
and turns it into heat which is converted to electricity. Then, the electric voltage is used to
determine the temperature of the object the thermometer is pointing at (David, 2019).

Another application of optics in disease detection is spectroscopy. After identifying

symptomatic patients, a swab sample is obtained from them. Then, the sample is analyzed
through a technique called real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
It is a method for detecting the presence of specific genetic material from a pathogen including
viruses. It is done by extracting the RNA from the DNA sample; the RNA is a mixture of the
person’s genetic material and possibly, the virus’ RNA (“How is the COVID-19..”, 2020). Then,
the scientists introduce nucleic-acid primers or probes tagged with fluorescent dye that
selectively bind to the RNA sequences found in SARS-CoV-2 virus. The RNA sample is reverse
transcribed to DNA by introducing specific enzymes that build up the DNA and that copy or
amplify the nucleic-acid sequences bound to the probes. The sample is inserted in a RT-PCR
machine where the sample is thermally cycled roughly 40 times between 37 °C and 95 °C. If the
nucleic-acid sequence of the virus is present in the sample then it is amplified in the process
with the help of the enzymes introduced. This is where the application of spectroscopy goes in.
As the enzymes amplify, the fluorescent dye attached to them also amplifies. In consequence,
the intensity of the fluorescence of the dye increases and is measured real time after each
cycle. The amount of virus is measured through this intensity buildup (Baer, nd).

References:

David, I. (2019, March 02). How Do Infrared Thermometers Work? Retrieved May 26,
2020, from ​https://sciencing.com/infrared-thermometers-work-4965130.html

Baer, T., & Baer, C. (n.d.). Optics and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Retrieved May 26, 2020,
from
https://www.osa-opn.org/home/articles/volume_31/may_2020/departments/optics_and_t
he_covid-19_pandemic/

How is the COVID-19 Virus Detected using Real Time RT-PCR? (2020, March 27).
Retrieved May 26, 2020, from
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/how-is-the-covid-19-virus-detected-using-real-tim
e-rt-pcr