A SPECIAL REPORT PRESENTED BY:

BONJOC, PRINCESS JHODERYN KAY

GALELA, BEA LORRAINE
GAYAO, EULLA SHANE
JAO, ANDREA LOIS
RAMONAL, ELOIZA JANINE

GRADE 12 - TRIANGULUM
DECEMBER 8, 2021
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. WHAT IS COVID-19?
A. History of Pandemics
B. Timeline of COVID-19
C. Infection Mechanism of COVID-19 Virus
D. Case Definition, Case Detection, and Laboratory Testing
E. Case Presentation of Recorded First 2 Cases in the Philippines
III. OVERVIEW OF COVID-19 SITUATION AND ITS REPERCUSSIONS
A. During the early appearance of COVID-19.
B. Health System Contexts / Public Health Impacts
C. Suspension of Face-to-Face Classes and Implementation of Distance
Learning
D. Panic Buying
E. Utilization of E-commerce
F. Appearances of Variants

IV. MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND RESPONSE APPROACH

A. National Contingency Plan

B. Observance of Health Protocols and Implementation of Quarantine
C. Vaccination
V. CONCLUSION
VI. REFERENCES
Chapter I

INTRODUCTION
During the first part of 2020, the world was engulfed in a pandemic caused by
a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus 2, creating COVID-19 or Coronavirus Disease 2019, previously called
Novel Coronavirus. It has been an ongoing pandemic since March 11, 2020, as
declared by the World Health Organization. As of December 8, 2021, there have been
a total of 267,370,133 cases and 5,286,085 deaths worldwide (Worldometer, 2021).
According to the statistics with the same source, the Philippines is the 19th country
with the most cases and deaths garnering 2,835,345 and 49,591 respectively. From
that data, the Philippines, along with India, Turkey, Iran, and Indonesia, are the only
Asian countries that were in the top 20.

Residents wearing face masks before rapid antibody testing for COVID-19 in Quezon city, Metro Manila,
Philippines, May 20, 2020. Ezra Acayan / Getty Images

The index case is thought to have happened on December 8, 2019, in Wuhan,

China (Alcayna, Bollettino, Dy, & Vinck, 2016). Cases have since been reported in
other Chinese cities as well as overseas, raising fears of a global outbreak. There had
been nearly 8 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide by mid-June, with over 436,000
deaths (Our World in Data, 2021). The first two cases in the Philippines were
examined on January 22, 2020, having a proven history of travel to Wuhan City
(Republic of the Philippines Department of Health, 2020). On March 5, a first case
COVID-19 with no prior international travel history was confirmed, indicating that
local transmission is present (Relief Web, 2020). In Manila's Main Capital Region,
there were 183 of them, with many of them being admitted to San Lazaro Hospital
(SLH), the country's main infectious disease referral hospital (Republic of the
Philippines Department of Health, San Lazaro Hospital, 2020).
Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, governments around the world have
implemented a variety of public health interventions, including social distancing
(Department of Health, 2020). Businesses, schools, community centers, and
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been forced to close as part of social
distancing, public meetings have been banned, and lockdown measures have been
imposed in several nations, permitting only essential movement. The goal is for
governments to be able to "flatten the curve," or lower the number of new cases
connected to COVID-19 from one day to the next, to stop exponential growth and
relieve the burden on medical facilities (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2021).
The Philippines' current health and economic crises have revealed both the
fragility of its integration into the global economy and the fragility of the Earth itself.
The pandemic is widespread around the world, and its expansion in the country is a
direct outcome of globalization processes such as the rise of global tourism and
international contacts between peoples and countries. The severity of the negative
economic repercussions may vary. The length of implementation, as well as the
degree of compliance, of social distancing measures (e.g., lockdowns and related
regulations). Furthermore, the epidemic and government action may cause mental
health problems, exacerbate economic inequality, and have a particularly negative
impact on some socio-demographic groups.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effects of the pandemic, the first
two covid infections in the Philippines, and to highlight several important clinical
and public health issues, including challenges, mitigation strategies, and the need for
assistance with personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, staffing, and other
issues, financial problems that hospitals and health facilities confront; supplies and
durable equipment; sustaining or growing facility capacity, and financial concerns
that hospitals and health facilities face.
Chapter II

WHAT IS COVID-19?
History of Pandemics
Throughout history, intermittent outbreaks of infectious illnesses have had
far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for society. Those events have had a
profound impact on the economic, political, and social elements of human
civilization, with consequences that can endure generations. Since the year 2000,
there has been a noticeable increase in the frequency of pandemics. This is attributed
to a rise in the occurrence of viral illness among animals (Madhav, Oppenheim,
Gallivan, Mulembakani, Rubin, & Wolfe, 2017). Many researchers, including Garrett
(2007), Keogh-Brown et al. (2008), and most recently Madhav et al. (2017) and Fan et
al. (2018), claim that a large-scale global pandemic was unavoidable given the
increasing frequency of pandemics. COVID-19 is the most dangerous incident since
the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic, according to Ferguson et al. (2020) from
Imperial College London's COVID-19 Response Team. Despite the comparisons,
Barro (2020) concludes that the nonpharmaceutical interventions used during the
1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic were ineffective in reducing overall mortality. This
was due to the interventions not being kept in place for a long enough period. He
estimates that the average length of school closures and prohibitions on public
gatherings was 36 days, while the average length of school closures and prohibitions
on public gatherings was 52 days. The quarantine/isolation period lasted eighteen
days (0.05 years). In comparison to the number of days the 1918 Spanish influenza
pandemic was active, these figures were insignificant. Epidemic breakouts have
established some of contemporary medicine's essential beliefs, forcing scientists to
create epidemiology, preventive, vaccination, and antibiotic therapy principles.

Table 1: Major Pandemics: Historical Timeline

Name Time Period Type/Prehuman Host Estimated Death Toll

Antonine Plague 165-180 Believed to be either 5 million

 smallpox or measles

Japanese Smallpox 735-737 Variola major virus 1 million

Epidemic

Plague of Justinian 541-542 Yersinia pestis 30 to 50 million

bacteria/rats, fleas

Black Death 1347-1351 Yersinia pestis 200 million

bacteria/rats, fleas

New World Smallpox 1520-onwards Variola major virus 56 million

Outbreak

Great Plague of 1665 Yersinia pestis 100,000

London bacteria/rats, fleas

Italian Plague 1629-1631 Yersinia pestis 1 million

bacteria/rats, fleas

Cholera Pandemics 1817-1923 V. cholerae bacteria 1 million+

1-6

Third Plague 1885 Yersinia pestis 12 million (China &

bacteria/rats, fleas India)

Yellow Fever The late 1800s Virus/Mosquitoes 100,000-150,000 (US)

Russian Flu 1889-1890 H2N2 (avian origin) 1 million

Spanish Flu 1918-1919 H1N1 virus/pigs 40 to 50 million

Asian Flu 1957-1958 H2N2 virus 1.1 million

Hong Kong Flu 1968-1970 H3N2 virus 1 million

HIV/AIDS 1981-present Virus/chimpanzees 25 to 35 million

Swine Flu 2009-2010 H1N1 virus/pigs 200,000

SARS 2002-2003 Coronavirus/bats, 770

civets

Ebola 2014-2016 Ebolavirus/ wild 11,000

 animals

MERS 2015-present Coronavirus/bats, 850

camels

Source: World Economic Forum (2020)

Based on the table, the causes of these pandemics/epidemics usually come
from animals then transferred to humans. Coronaviruses are found in a variety of
animals, including cattle and camels. Although coronaviruses are seldom
transmitted from animals to people, this new strain is most likely to have originated
in bats (Medical News Today, 2020). However, it is still unknown how the virus
originally infected people. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine (2021), the first
instances were discovered at a Wuhan seafood and livestock market. SARS-CoV-2
may have begun to spread to humans from this location.
Coronaviruses have prompted worry in recent years owing to their potential
to produce pandemics. SARS and MERS are two more coronavirus diseases, in
addition to SARS-CoV-2. Out of these three coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 is the first to
reach a worldwide scale.

Timeline of COVID-19
The first pneumonia case, according to Zhu et al. (2020), was detected on
December 8, 2019, at a wet market in Wuhan, China's capital city. Following that, in
late December 2019, multiple clusters of individuals with this pneumonia were
recorded. Table 2 shows a schedule of major events beginning in January 2020- May
2020.

Table 2: COVID-19 Timeline

Date Events

4 January 2020 WHO reports a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, Hubei, China

7 January 2020 WHO identifies COVID-19

11 January 2020 China announces 1 st death from COVID-19

13 January 2020 1st official case of COVID-19 reported outside China in Thailand

17 January 2020 Authorities in Nepal, France, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea,
Vietnam, and Taiwan confirm cases

21 January 2020 1st case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States of America (US)

22 January 2020 WHO finds evidence of human-to-human transmission from China

23 January 2020 China imposes lockdown in the cities of Wuhan, Xiantao and Chibi of the
Hubei province

30 January 2020 WHO declares COVID-19 to be a Public Health Emergency of International

Concern

31 January 2020 US declares COVID-19 a domestic public health emergency

2 February 2020 1st death due to COVID-19 outside of China in the Philippines

9 February 2020 The death toll in China surpasses that of 2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS)

14 February 2020 Egypt reports st case of COVID-19, the 1st case in the African continent

15 February 2020 France reports 1st death from COVID-19 outside of Asia

23 February 2020 COVID-19 cases rise in Italy in what becomes the largest outbreak outside of
Asia

26 February 2020 Brazil confirms 1st case of COVID-19, the 1st case in South America

27 February 2020 1st case of community transmission reported in the US

29 February 2020 st death due to COVID-19 in the US

8 March 2020 Over 100 countries report COVID-19 cases Italy imposes quarantine in the
Lombardy region

11 March 2020 WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic

13 March 2020 Donald Trump declares a national emergency in the US

17 March 2020 All 50 states in the US have at least one confirmed case of COVID-19
California first state to implement ‘stay-at-home’ order in the US
19 March 2020 Italy’s death toll surpasses that of China

21 March 2020 EU suspends public deficit rules to inject fiscal stimulus across countries

25 March 2020 The White House and Senate leaders of both the Democratic and Republican
parties in the US come to an agreement on a US$2 trillion stimulus to aid
workers, businesses, and the healthcare system in response to the pandemic

26 March 2020 US leads the world in COVID-19 cases

2 April 2020 Global cases of COVID-19 reach 1 million

8 April 2020 China lifts lockdown in Wuhan, 76 days after it was sealed off to contain
COVID-19

11 April 2020 The US records 2,000 deaths in one day, the highest single-day death toll
recorded by any country

15 April 2020 Global cases of COVID-19 reach 2 million

24 April 2020 US’s death toll surpasses 50,000

27 April 2020 Global cases of COVID-19 reach 3 million

28 April 2020 COVID-19 cases in the US surpass 1 million

21 May 2020 Global cases of COVID-19 surpass 5 million

22 May 2020 Brazil surpasses Russia as the country with the 2nd highest number of cases,
after the US

27 May 2020 US’s death toll surpasses 100,000

Infection Mechanism of COVID-19 Virus

COVID-19 is spread through the air when droplets and minute airborne
particles harboring the virus are inhaled. Breathing them in is most dangerous when
individuals are close together, but they may also be breathed across greater
distances, especially indoors. Transmission can also occur if infected fluids are
splashed or sprayed in the eyes, nose, or mouth, as well as by contaminated surfaces.
People can be infectious for up to 20 days after contracting the virus, and they can
spread it even if they don't show any symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2021).
Once the virus gets in contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth, it starts to affect
the respiratory system, digestive system, urogenital system, central nervous system,
and circulatory system (Zhu, Zhang, Wang, Li, Yang, & Song, 2019). The coronavirus
attaches itself to an ACE2 Receptor to the lungs’ protective barrier called epithelial
cells. Then, it will inject its genetic material inside, multiplying and ending up killing
the cell. These newly made viruses will do the same to the other healthy cells until
there are millions of cells infected. The body’s immune system will respond to this,
but it would do more harm than good as some of the immune cells get infected by
the virus, specifically Neutrophils, and Killer-T cells. Infected Neutrophils start
releasing enzymes that kill other immune cells, and infected Killer-T cells order
healthy epithelial cells to kill themselves. The rapid spread of the virus and the
number of cells damaged would signal the body to send more immune cells and kill
more healthy cells in return. Most of the time, the immune system could win over
the virus, but in some cases, it could lead to critical issues like pneumonia when the
viruses successfully killed enough epithelial cells to let bacteria enter the lungs. With
the immune system battling not only the virus but also itself, it cannot keep up with
another enemy.

Case Definition, Case Detection, and Laboratory Testing

COVID-19 cases are patients who have a positive real-time PCR result.
RT-PCR is a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that is carried
out by laboratories that have been accredited by the Department of Health and
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). The RITM is the National Reference
Laboratory for Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases and is the public health
authority that is in charge of accrediting laboratories for COVID-19 testing. Starting
April 9, 2020, the Department of Health will only examine suspects and instances
that are most likely.
If a person got infected by the COVID-19 virus, common symptoms would be
fever, exhaustion, cough, and loss of smell and taste. Meanwhile, some people
experience serious symptoms like breathing difficulties, chest pain, and loss of
speech and mobility. Some people feel less common symptoms like headaches, sore
throat, aches and pains, diarrhea, a rash on the skin, or discoloration of fingers or
toes, and red or irritated eyes. These symptoms might appear one to fourteen days
after being exposed (World Health Organization, 2019). However, at least one-third
of those afflicted do not show any signs or symptoms (Oran, Topol, 2020). The
majority (81%) of those who acquire symptoms show mild pneumonia-like
symptoms, whereas 14% experienced severe symptoms like hypoxia, dyspnea, or
more than 50% lung involvement on imaging, and 5% experienced critical
symptoms like shock, multiorgan dysfunction, and respiratory failure (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Severe symptoms are more likely to emerge
in the elderly.
A suspect case is a person who has any of the following: (1) SARI requiring
hospitalization with no other etiology that fully explains clinical presentation; (2) ILI
with no other etiology that fully explains clinical presentation AND residence or
travel to an area with known local transmission 14 days prior to symptoms OR
exposure to confirmed or probable cases during the period 2 days prior to symptoms
until they test negative with RT-PCR; and (3) high-risk groups presenting with fever,
cough, shortness of breath and other respiratory symptoms, including the elderly 60
years and above, those with comorbidities, women with high-risk pregnancies and
health workers (DOH, 2020). Probable cases are suspect cases (1) referred for RT-PCR
testing, (2) with inconclusive RT-PCR results from a DOH-accredited laboratory, or
(3) who have a positive RT-PCR result from a non-RITM accredited laboratory. There
were six versions of COVID-19 case definitions as of April 29th, and testing has
extended to include 17 subnational laboratories.

Case Presentation of Recorded First 2 Cases in the Philippines

Both patients were Chinese tourists on vacation traveling through the
Philippines as a couple. They had no known comorbidities and had never smoked
before. On January 18, 2020, Patient 2, a 44-year-old man, developed a fever when
the pair was in Wuhan, China. He was said to be in contact with someone in Wuhan
who was ill, but not that he had gone to the fish market. They traveled from Wuhan
to different destinations in the Philippines through Hong Kong from January 20 to
25. On January 21, Patient 1, a 39-year-old woman, developed a cough and sore
throat. They traveled to Manila on January 25 due to the persistence of patient 2's
symptoms. Patient 2 was denied admission to a hotel in Manila because he was
febrile, and the two patients were sent to San Lazaro Hospital (SLH), the country's
primary referral hospital for infectious disorders (Republic of the Philippines
Department of Health, San Lazaro Hospital, 2020).
Although both patients are young adults with no substantial medical history,
they had quite diverse clinical courses, demonstrating how COVID-19 can appear
with a wide range of diseases. Patient 2 got severe pneumonia and died, but patient
1 had a mild uncomplicated sickness associated with an upper respiratory tract
infection and recovered.
The presence of co-infection could be one reason for the different clinical
outcomes. The real-time PCR detection panel in both individuals was found to be
positive for several infections. Patient 1's Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella
pneumoniae were most likely caused by bacterial colonization, and it's unclear how
much of her illness was caused by influenza, COVID-19, or both. COVID-19,
Influenza B, and Streptococcus pneumoniae were all found to be positive in Patient
2, all of which can induce respiratory infection and severe pneumonia.
Unfortunately, due to biosafety issues, sputum culture was not viable. It's unclear
which pathogen was the main cause of mortality, but past study has shown that
when many pathogens are present, the consequences of acute viral respiratory
infection are worse. This emphasizes the significance of testing for several
respiratory pathogens in addition to COVID-19 to make antimicrobial therapy more
effective.
Patient 2 had increased dyspnoea on day 11 of illness, similar to the first
COVID-19 case in the United States, in which moderate symptoms were described at
first, progressing to pneumonia on day 9. In a case series in Wuhan, the median
period from onset of sickness to dyspnea was 8 days (range 5–13). The cause of
patient 2's deteriorating health and the onset of haemoptysis was the progression of
pneumonia rather than acute respiratory distress syndrome or pulmonary embolism.
Although it was not able to undertake a CT scan, additional laboratory testing, or an
autopsy to further assess this. Despite the fact that he was given broad-spectrum
antibiotics, it is unclear whether the outcome would have been better in a
high-resource situation. Because both patients tested positive for Influenza B, they
were treated with oseltamivir.
Three SLH hospital staff members who were caring for the patients acquired
symptoms and became PUIs as a result of the case, but were eventually discharged
after negative SARS-CoV-2 testing and symptom remission. This raises the
possibility of a hospital outbreak, or a 'superspreader' scenario, similar to what
happened in other settings during the early phases of the SARS coronavirus illnesses
in 2003. SLH managed two cases of SARS, similar to COVID19, and was able to limit
the disease infection without it spreading any further.
Chapter III

OVERVIEW OF COVID-19 SITUATION AND ITS

REPERCUSSIONS
During the Early Appearance of COVID-19

As the COVID-19 was swiftly spreading, we were told by the government to

distance ourselves from each other. If we ever get sick and suspect it to be COVID
we need to tell the authorities and then quarantine ourselves to prevent spreading
the virus to others, especially to our family members. We were advised to stay at
home and avoid going outside unless necessary, but if we do, we have to wear
masks and face shields. Mass gatherings like concerts, sports events and other
entertainment activities, community assemblies, and many more were prohibited.
These are the means of entertainment for some people and they were forced to adjust
for their safety. Work from home was encouraged and face-to-face classes have
shifted to online classes or answering modules provided by the school. With this,
people's opinions were divided. Some reacted positively as they now have the time
to do the things they were not able to do and demands from their jobs and the school
were lessened. Some reacted negatively as it could have a negative effect on an
individual's mental health and their movements are very limited, they can't go out to
enjoy their lives like before.
It seemed that the initial response of the president was to mock those who
took the crisis seriously, appearing to dismiss the severity of the virus. A few days
after dismissing the crisis, the president announced a lockdown on Metro Manila as
well as the regions near it. After the first cases of community transmission, Duterte
responded with an ‘enhanced community quarantine’ (ECQ) order to high-risk
areas, the less-risk areas adopted a more moderate approach. During an Enhanced
Community Quarantine, public transportation systems are to be suspended and only
the essential businesses are allowed to operate during this time.

Health System Contexts / Public Health Impacts

The global economy, livelihood, and physical and mental well-being have all
been affected by the coronavirus illness (COVID-19) pandemic. While everyone is at
risk of contracting COVID-19, the elderly are more vulnerable and people who have
pre-existing illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, cardiac and respiratory illnesses, or
a damaged immune system including HIV-positive persons. The most susceptible
are health care employees. Infection-prone individuals are those who live in
impoverished, heavily populated metropolitan areas, and any community with a
lack of sufficient sanitation supplies and with limited sanitation and hygiene
standards, as well as nutrition services.
The Philippines illustrates the lower-middle-income nation model with the
difficulties of a changing healthcare system. With a combination of tax-funded
public sector and for-profit and non-profit private sector providers, the Philippine
health system is extremely decentralized and devolved. The Department of Health
(DOH) is the principal agency in charge of health leadership, governance, and
regulation, as well as the provision of specialized tertiary health care. Governance of
localities, alongside health services delivery, social welfare services, and
maintenance of municipality facilities have been largely decentralized to local
government units (LGUs) by the Local Government Code of 1991.
 The Philippines has made substantial progress toward universal health
coverage (UHC) with the signing of the Universal Health Care Act (Republic Act No.
11223) on February 20, 2019. The National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), a
social health insurance plan run by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, is
automatically enrolled for all Filipinos under the Act (PhilHealth). This legislation
intends to guarantee that all Filipinos have fair access to excellent and affordable
health care, in addition to substantial health system reform and role demarcation
among key agencies and stakeholders.
Still, PPE, ventilators, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are in
low supply. The ability of intensive care and other key equipment is affecting how
COVID-19 patients will be treated at health facilities. Nearly a quarter of all those
health professionals are among those affected in the nation. At first at some
hospitals, patients in the National Capital Region (NCR) were no longer accepted
since they were unable to offer appropriate safety for their workers in the health
field because they were unable to provide adequate protection for themselves. In
Mindanao, there are medical facilities that are adversely affected by a lack of
personal protective equipment (PPE) and health staff. After coming into close
contact, they are presently self-quarantining COVID-19 cases without proper
personal protective equipment (PPE).
In the context of these health reforms and difficulties, the Philippines is
dealing with a triple burden of illness, including communicable diseases (CD),
non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and natural disasters (typhoons, floods,
earthquakes). In conclusion, the aforementioned health system flaws, together with
the triple burden of disease, represent a threat. Prioritization is a major difficulty, not
just in terms of financing healthcare, but also in terms of service delivery and
program execution. This is much more challenging in a large-scale catastrophe like
the COVID-19 epidemic, where existing injustices were revealed and worsened by
several of these long-standing flaws.

Suspension of Face-to-Face Classes and Implementation of Distance Learning

(Impacts on the Education)
 Upon the pandemic occurred, many activities were postponed for the safety of
citizens' well-being. Schools have suspended and changed into modular or online
learning to reduce the transmission of the virus. It was a challenging conquest of the
Department of Education in changing the modality of learning as education must
not be postponed for a long period of time. As we know, education is a foundation
needed for the children, and to stop it means that there would be a gap in the
children's competence during the pandemic and before the pandemic. So the
movement of DepEd was to send or retrieve modules sustaining a week's learning
and returning on the next week with the activities answered. These circumstances
test the cooperation of teachers, students, and parents. As students and parents are at
home together, the parents are encouraged to monitor their children's progress
towards their work as their children continue their studies inside their homes.
According to DepEd, data from the Learner Enrollment and Survey Form
showed that 8.8 million of the parents preferred modular learning while 3.9 million
chose blended learning and 3.8 million chose online learning only.

Panic Buying
It seemed that the initial response of the president was to mock those who
took the crisis seriously, appearing to dismiss the severity of the virus. A few days
after dismissing the crisis, the president announced a lockdown on Metro Manila as
well as the regions near it. After the first cases of community transmission, Duterte
responded with an ‘enhanced community quarantine’ (ECQ) order to high-risk
areas, the less-risk areas adopted a more moderate approach. During an Enhanced
Community Quarantine, public transportation systems are to be suspended and only
the essential businesses are allowed to operate during this time.
The residents in those regions realized that buying their needs will be more
difficult since there will be restrictions on going in and out of groceries and malls
will probably close down due to the pandemic thus they began panic buying. Panic
buying is when people buy things in large quantities in fear of shortage or ‘hoarding’
for short.
Share of respondents who engaged in panic buying due to the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic in the Philippines as of April 2020, by age group

source:https://www.statista.com/statistics/1118964/philippines-panic-buying-during-coronavirus-covid-19-by-a
ge/

Utilization of E-commerce
We were discouraged to go out and encouraged to stay at home instead, to
lessen the rate of the spread of the virus. Thus, we have started to take advantage of
our technologies. Food trips and shopping can now be done at home through
various social media platforms and e-commerce websites. There were mobile
applications developed for delivery assistance such as StreetBy and Maxim. In terms
of food deliveries, foodpanda is able to deliver our favorite food to our doorsteps. As
for other tangible things we need or want, Shopee and Lazada have been alluring us
through their various discounts and sales. Transacting was made easy too with
banks having an online banking option on their websites and with GCash or
PayMaya which are able to send and receive money easily.
Appearances of Variants
SARS-CoV-2 Variant Classifications

WHO Label Pango Lineage Date of Designation

VOC VOI VBM

(Variants of Concern) (Variants of (Variants being
Interest) Monitored )

Alpha B.1.1.7 and Q lineages December 29, 2020 September 21, 2021

Beta B.1.351 and descendent December 29, 2020 September 21, 2021
lineages

Gamma P.1and descendent December 29, 2020 September 21, 2021

lineages

Epsilon B.1.427 March 19, 2021 February 26, 2021 September 21, 2021
B.1.429 June 29, 2021

Eta B.1.525 February 26, 2021 September 21, 2021

Iota B.1.526 February 26, 2021 September 21, 2021

Kappa B.1.617.1 May 7, 2021 September 21, 2021

N/A B.1.617.3 May 7, 2021 September 21, 2021

 Zeta P.2 February 26, 2021 September 21, 2021

Mu B.1.621, B.1.621.1 September 21, 2021

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/variant-info.html
Chapter IV

MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND RESPONSE

APPROACH

National Contingency Plan

The government has made substantial efforts since the first COVID-19
incidents were registered. A variety of steps have been made to minimize and
respond to the spread of the illness.
By virtue of Executive Order No. 1685, the National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council (NDRRMC) activated the Inter-Agency Task Force on
Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) led by the Department of Health (DOH).
Chaired by the Secretary of Health, the IATF-EID serves as the lead advisory body to
the President on the management and implementation of necessary actions related to
COVID-19.
The COVID-19 National Contingency Plan contains a Four-Door Approach, a
strategic framework that ensures an integrated and coordinated approach reaction
for various stages according to a color code. In the event of a public health
emergency, the colors blue and red are used. The Department of Health is the
principal agency for executing the National Contingency Plan for COVID-19. The
draft contingency plan is broken down into cluster-specific implementation
strategies based on numerous worst-case scenarios of thousands of cases that have
been verified across the country. As a result of this planning, a total of US$239.7
million on personal protective equipment including testing kits, ventilators, and
other equipment and supplies are required to improve the health system's ability to
deal with the anticipated increase in acute cases.

Observance of Health Protocols and Implementation of Quarantine

The government announced a countrywide quarantine program to stop the
spread of the Covid-19 virus. The quarantine was imposed in the form of a tight
quarantine. The 'enhanced community quarantine,' or ECQ, was coined by the
Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases
(IATF). Those under the age of 21 and those above the age of 60 are required under
the ECQ to remain at home. Those between the ages of 21 and 60 are likewise
prohibited from leaving the house, with the exception of basic products and those
permitted to work in key industries such as hospitals. Factories, enterprises, offices,
schools, churches, and public and private transportation are all closed during ECQ.
In summary, the ECQ paralyzes the economy and immobilizes the inhabitants in the
affected region.
President Rodrigo Duterte managed Covid-19 as a matter of public order and
law enforcement by mobilizing the police and military, as shown by the Inter-agency
Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) led by
former military generals. The IATF's implementing partner was formed as the
National Task Force Covid-19 (NTF Covid-19, or NTF for short). General Carlito
Galvez, a former Chief of the Armed Forces, leads the NTF. The Department of
National Defence (DND), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG),
and the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) all support the NTF
(DSWD).
People, particularly the poor, were left to fend for themselves during a long
period when they were locked inside their homes, and supplies of alcohol, hand
sanitizers, surgical and N95 masks were severely lacking and were left to fend for
themselves in order to maintain minimum health standards and follow the very
strict community quarantine protocols. And the government continues to accuse the
"pasaways" (undisciplined) and "matigas ang ulo" (hard-headed) Filipinos for not
wearing masks, remaining at home, and not practicing social distancing during this
extremely long period of community quarantine and continued increase in
COVID-19 cases.
Nonetheless, despite the government's efforts and the rigorous ECQ in the
March-May period, a number of health networks, organizations, and prominent
medical figures expressed disappointment and pointed out severe flaws and
inadequacies in the way the COVID-19 pandemic is being addressed and handled.
The Covid-19 curve continued to rise. The virus' spread is largely attributed to
returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and stranded employees and families in
Metro Manila and other places that were affected by ECQ. Concerned that the health
system will be overwhelmed by the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the Philippine
Health Care Professional Against COVID-19 called for a two-week "timeout" from
the government and asked for a rethinking of the administration's strategy to the
pandemic.
Considering the long and rigorous quarantine program it has imposed on the
people and the economy, the government has had and continues to have a long way
towards stopping the unseen adversary. COVID-19 has overburdened the health
system since critical strategies and interventions are not being met.

Vaccination
Vaccination is an effective way to prevent severe symptoms when in contact
with them since it is a version of a weakened form of the pathogen used to
immunize or build up antibodies. Recently, the senate declared a mandatory
vaccination on October 25, 2021, stating that infants or children that are not
vaccinated shall not be allowed to go outside unless under urgent situations. This is
one response of the government acting in the value of its citizens' well-being.

Vaccine efficacy by coronavirus variant, available data, and modeled estimates

Ancestral and Alpha Beta, Gamma, Delta

Vaccine Efficacy of Efficacy of Efficacy of Efficacy of

preventing disease preventing preventing disease preventing
infection infection

Pfizer 94% 86% 85% 78%

Moderna 94% 89% 94% 80%

Astrazeneca 92% 52% 85% 49%

Johnson & 86% 72% 60% 56%

Johnson

Sputnik-V 92% 81% 80% 70%

Novavax 89% 79% 79% 69%

 Corona Vac 50% 44% 43% 38%

Sinopharm 73% 65% 63% 56%

Tianjin Cansino 66% 58% 57% 50%

Covaxin 78% 69% 68% 60%

Other mRNA 91% 86% 85% 78%

vaccine

All other vaccine 75% 66% 65% 57%

Source:http://www.healthdata.org/covid/covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-summary

Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine doses that arrived in the Philippines

as of

November 19, 2021, by brand

Source:https://www.statista.com/statistics/1244046/philippines-coronavirus-covid19-vaccines-by-brand/
source:https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/philippines/

The Philippines has administered at least 92,752,986 doses of COVID vaccines

so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about
42.9% of the country’s population.
Chapter V

CONCLUSION
The COVID-19 Pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic caused by the severe
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is said to be the deadliest
in history as millions of deaths have been recorded to be caused by this novel virus.
After the first case was recorded, it continued spreading due to ineffective responses
of the government, reaching neighboring cities, neighboring states, neighboring
countries, until the whole world became affected in 2020. Many new variants have
been discovered up to this day. Through the research of academic and grey
literature, this paper attempts to analyze the collateral impact of COVID-19 and
quarantine measures in the Philippines. It also covers a number of critical clinical
and public health topics, such as problems, countermeasures, and their effects on the
general public.
The COVID-19 outbreak has, in no doubt, exposed the current health system's
flaws which makes now an excellent moment to explore substantial changes. A
campaign will be launched for free, comprehensive health care under a tax-funded,
integrated healthcare system. To battle COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics,
public health should be strengthened— a system that offers complete healthcare
services such as health promotion, health education, illness prevention, disease
diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care. These health services
would be provided by suitable health facilities at all levels, from primary to tertiary,
in center-based, community or hospital settings and specialist centers, including
emergency hospitals, birthing centers, municipal and city health centers, and
barangay health stations.
The pandemic brought a big change to our economy, our education system,
and our ways of living. The economy of the Philippines suffered a recession due to
the pandemic. Many activities were postponed for the safety of citizens' well-being
as well. To minimize the spread of the virus, schools have postponed classes and
switched to modular or online education. It was a difficult task for the Department
of Education to change the mode of learning because education cannot be postponed
for an extended length of time. As we all know, education is a necessary foundation
for children, and halting it would result in a gap in children's competency during
and after the epidemic. So DepEd's strategy was to transmit or collect modules that
would last a week of study and then return the next week with the tasks completed.
Teachers, students, and parents must work together in these circumstances. Because
pupils and parents are both at home, parents were asked to keep track of their
children's progress toward their assignments because the teacher was unavailable
due to the epidemic.
With the lockdowns in place, purchasing daily necessities will be more
difficult, as there will be limits on entering and exiting supermarkets, and malls will
most likely close due to the epidemic. Some of us then went out and bought things in
a frenzy. Panic buying occurs when individuals purchase enormous amounts of
goods in anticipation of scarcity, or 'hoarding' for short.
As we learned to get used to our situation, we took advantage of it. We have
started to fully use our technologies. Food trips and shopping can now be done at
home through various social media platforms and e-commerce websites. Transacting
was made easy too with banks having an online banking option on their websites
and with GCash or PayMaya which are able to send and receive money easily.
We have learned to adjust to this pandemic. The Filipino’s “Bahala Na”
character was displayed in today’s situation. While there is no question that the
COVID-19 epidemic had a harmful impact on the country, there is no denying that
there were lessons and realizations that may be applied and be used to make a good
difference in the future. Although we mourn for those who have been infected with
the virus, the majority of us accept these happenings and move on. Today, we are
slowly rising from our very huge fall brought by COVID-19. Fundamental changes
are impossible to achieve without the participation of the general public. Political
movements in the Philippines have played a critical role in kicking off the reform
process. Activists and health organizations contribute to this process by addressing
health-related issues and concerns, fighting sector-wide battles, and continuously
pushing for the People’s Health Agenda. It should be highlighted, however, that
improving the health system and the Philippines’ current situation needs more than
mere collaboration among healthcare institutions and practitioners. To make local
health systems more resilient, flexible, and responsive to people's needs, good health
governance and a whole-of-health approach are also required. The Philippines might
have a longer path to go through for recovery than other countries, but it will
gradually recover. We believe that someday we will all recover and be able to return
back to normal again.
REFERENCES

Alcayna T, Bollettino V, Dy P, Vinck P. Resilience and Disaster Trends in the

Philippines: Opportunities for National and Local Capacity Building. PLoS Curr
[Internet]. 2016; Available from:
https://currents.plos.org/disasters/article/resilienceand-disaster-trends-in-the-phil
ippines-opportunities-for-national-and-local-capacitybuilding/

Bayani, D. B. S., & Tan, S. G. (2021, March). Health Systems Impact of COVID-19 in
the Philippines.
https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/WP569_Health_systems_impact_of_CO
VID_in_the_Philippines.pdf

Brodeur, A., Gray, D., Islam, A., & Bhuiyan, S. J. (2020, June). A Literature Review of
the Economics of COVID-19. IZA – Institute of Labor Economics.
https://ftp.iza.org/dp13411.pdf

Chen N, Zhou M, Dong X, Qu J, Gong F, Han Y, et al. Epidemiological and clinical

characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a
descriptive study. Lancet (London, England). 2020;6736(20): 1–7 Available from:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32007143

Cuenca JS. Health Devolution in The Philippines: Lessons and Insights [Internet].
Quezon City, Philippines; 2018. (Philippine Institute for Development Studies
Discussion Paper Series). Report No.: 36. Available from:
https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidsdps1836.pdf

Dayrit M, Lagrada L, Picazo O, Pons M, Villaverde M. The Philippines Health

System Review [Internet]. New Delhi; 2018. Available from:
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/274579
Department of Health (2020) Administrative Order No. 2020-0013: Revised
Administrative Order No. 2020-0012 ‘Guidelines for the Inclusion of the Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID 19) in the List of Notifiable Diseases for Mandatory Reporting
to the Department of Health’ dated March 17, 2020.

Department of Health (2020) Department Circular 2020-0143: Public Advisory No.

20: COVID-19 Laboratory Testing.

Department of Health. National objectives for health Philippines 2017-2022

[Internet].

Edna M. Edrada , Edmundo B. Lopez , Jose Benito Villarama , Eumelia P. Salva

Villarama , Bren F. Dagoc , Chris Smith, Ana Ria Sayo , Jeffrey A. Verona , Jamie
Trifalgar-Arches , Jezreel Lazaro , Ellen Grace M. Balinas , Elizabeth Freda O. Telan ,
Lynsil Roy , Myvie Galon , Carl Hill N. Florida , Tatsuya Ukawa , Annavi Marie G.
Villanueva , Nobuo Saito , Jean Raphael Nepomuceno , Koya Ariyoshi , Celia Carlos
, Amalea Dulcene Nicolasora and Rontgene M. Solante. Tropical Medicine and
Health (2020) 48:21 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-020-00203-0

Fong MW, Gao H, Wong JY, et al. Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic
Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings-Social Distancing Measures. Emerg Infect Dis
2020;26(5):976- 84. doi: 10.3201/eid2605.190995 [published Online First: 2020/02/07]

Food and Drug Administration Philippines (2020) List of Approved COVID-19 Test
Kits for Commercial Use (as of 26 Mar 2020, 2:00 PM).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, November 17). Clinical Questions
about COVID-19: Questions and Answers. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/faq.html
Grimm, C. A. (2020, April). Hospital Experiences Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Results of a National Pulse Survey March 23–27, 2020.

Haw, N. J., & Uy, J. (2020, September). Epidemiological profile and transmission
dynamics of COVID-19 in the Philippines.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/FF
71A51A25F004AC59885AFA4C88C48B/S0950268820002137a.pdf/epidemiological-p
rofile-and-transmission-dynamics-of-covid-19-in-the-philippines.pdf

Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, et al. Clinical features of patients

infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020;6736(20):1–10
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5.

Huremović, D. (2019, May 16). Brief History of Pandemics (Pandemics Throughout

History). National Center for Biotechnology Information.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7123574/

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Philippines | Institute for
Health Metrics and Evaluation [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2020 Oct 9]. Available from:
http://www.healthdata.org/philippines

Lopez J. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) control and surveillance: The
Philippine experience. In: 4th Health Research For Action National Forum. Manila;
2003.

Munster V, Koopmans M, van Doremalen N, van Riel D, de Wit E. A novel

coronavirus emerging in China — key questions for impact assessment. NEJM.
2020:4–6

Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Republic Act No. 11223 - AN ACT
INSTITUTING UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL FILIPINOS, PRESCRIBING
REFORMS IN THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR. 2019.

Ofreneo, R. E. (2020). COVID-19 PANDEMIC CASE STUDY: PHILIPPINES [E-book].

Philippines Humanitarian Country Team (. (2020). COVID-19 HUMANITARIAN

RESPONSE PLAN [E-book].
Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Philippine College of
Chest Physicians, Philippine College of Physicians, Philippine Rheumatology
Association, & Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine. (2020).
INTERIM GUIDANCE ON THE CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF ADULT
PATIENTS WITH SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED COVID-19 INFECTION [E-book].

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health. 2019-NCOV CASE TRACKER.

[cited 2020 Feb 6]. Available from: https://www.doh.gov.ph/ node/19197. 4.
Republic of the Philippines Department of Health. San Lazaro Hospital. 2020 [cited
2020 Feb 6]. Available from: http://slh.doh.gov.ph/

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health. San Lazaro Hospital. 2020 [cited
2020 Feb 6]. Available from: http://slh.doh.gov.ph/

Rothe C, Schunk M, Sothmann P, Bretzel G, Froeschl G, Wallrauch C, et al.

Transmission of 2019-nCoV infection from an asymptomatic contact in Germany. N
Engl J Med. 2020:2019–20.

Wu JT, Leung K, Leung GM. Nowcasting and forecasting the potential domestic and
international spread of the 2019-nCoV outbreak originating in Wuhan, China: a
modelling study. Lancet. 2020;6736:20.

Yoshida L, Suzuki M, Nguyen HA, Le MN, Vu TD, Yoshino H, et al. Respiratory

syncytial virus: co-infection and paediatric lower respiratory tract infections. Eur
Respir J. 2013;42:461–9.

Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, et al. A novel coronavirus from

patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020; NEJMoa2001017.
Available from: http://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2 001017.
Oran DP , Topol EJ . Prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. A narrative
review. Ann Intern Med. 2020;173:362-367. doi:10.7326/M20-3012 - DOI - PMC -
PubMed
Medical News Today. (2020, June 30). Coronavirus cause: Origin and How it Spreads.
Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/coronavirus-causes

Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021, May 19). What Is Coronavirus?. Retrieved from
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus
Relief Web. (2020, May 11). Philippines COVID-19 Humanitarian Response Plan.
Retrieved from
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-covid-19-humanitarian-respo
nse-plan-may-11-2020-revision

Our World in Data. (2021, December 8). Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) – The
Data. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data
Worldometer. (2021, December 8). COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. Retrieved from
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

The Philippines Economy and the Impact of COVID-19. (n.d.). FutureLearn. Retrieved
December 2, 2021, from
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/futurelearn-international/philippines-economy
-covid-19

World Health Organization. (2020, April 27). Archived: WHO Timeline - COVID-19.
Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/news/item/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19