March 29, 2024

This year is a tough year for all of us, not just in the Philippines but in the world. We have felt the devastating effects of the Covid-19 on our families and communities.
We know how difficult it is to live in this situation. Our routines were abruptly changed into a strict and controlled day-to-day practice as we are advised to stay at home and follow health protocols.
The World Health Organization says the Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. The Department of Health recorded its first case of Covid-19 in January, a 38-year-old female Chinese and the first local transmission on March 7, which was the start of the unabated transmission.
This virus affects especially people who are aged over 60 years, and people who have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease or hypertension are among those who are at greater risk of developing severe or critical illness if infected with the virus. The Covid-19 is said to go deeper than viruses like the common cold. Your lungs might become inflamed, making it tough for you to breathe. This can lead to pneumonia, an infection of the tiny air sacs called alveoli inside your lungs where your blood exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide.
This pandemic has also paralyzed the world’s economy and as a result, a lot of business establishments have closed doors due to the lockdowns that restricted the movement of people and goods as a measure to prevent the spread of the infection.
This has alarmed the world. Our stress and anxieties are peaked by the fear of contracting the virus that causes the infection as we see each daily tally of positive cases and deaths. We see many people around us who have lost their jobs. The jobs that have sustained them and their families just disappeared as a result of the slowing down of the world’s economy.
Through this experience we developed a deep sense of gratitude to the frontliners in the battle against the Covid-19 – those doctors and nurses, hospital workers, who are putting their lives on the line to save others. We are also grateful to those who continue to leave their homes each day, endangering their own health, to keep us fed and sustained.
Although we have experienced all the negativities brought to us by this pandemic, there is always good news. We have witnessed a tremendous rise in charitable acts and volunteerism within our communities – from making protective masks, preparing food for hospitals, health workers, police and military officers – to fund raising initiatives to help those who need help due damage brought to them by the Covid-19.
As we so often come to discover during and after a crisis, there are silver linings and beautiful things that emerge through sorrow and pain. This crisis should be no different. There is something that we can all learn and carry with us through and beyond this experience. — Angela S. Cerisse T. Bayangan