Impact of Covid-19

Pandemic is the global outbreak of a disease worldwide. It is generally classified as epidemics first which the bacteria rapidly spread across a particular region or regions. The deadliest pandemic that happened in history before was the “Spanish Flu” during 1918. The virus infected an estimated one-third of the world’s population and was responsible for causing 20 million and 50 million deaths which is estimated as 1% to 3% mortality rate. The virus actually didn’t originate in Spain, but it is the first ever country that reported an outbreak, so does the people began calling it as “the Spanish Flu” but the Spanish thought it all started in France and called it “French Flu”. Young, old, sick and even healthy people were infected by the said virus. It all happens during the remaining months of World War 1 were all the soldiers became ill and in which it weakens their immune system that resulted to several implications, some recovered and on the other hand, others died. In 2014 a new theory about the origins of virus suggested that it first emerged in China, National Geographic reported. Undiscovered records linked the flu to the transportation of Chinese laborers, the Chinese Labour Corps across the Canada in 1917 and 1918 where the laborers were mostly farm workers from remote parts of rural China (The Last Plague by Humphries).

Wuhan, China experienced a novel coronavirus outbreak last december. Coronavirus is a family of RNA(RiboNucleicAcid) viruses. It is called as coronaviruses because the virus particle exhibits a characteristic “corona” of spike proteins around its lipid envelope. Coronavirus are common in animals and humans. Some strains of CoV are zoonotic, which means they can be transmitted between animals and humans but many strains are not zoonotic. Human cases mild pneumonia were reported in Wuhan City, Hubei province of China. A new CoV was identified as the causative agent by Chinese Authoites. Since then, human cases reported by almost all countries around the word and the Covid -19 event has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a pandemic. The virus was unknown before the outbreak in Wuhan. Philppines is one of the country that’s been affected by the Covid-19. The country declared its first ever case on January 30, 2020. The infected is a 38-year-old female Chinese national. March 7, the first local transmission of the said virus was confirmed. As of now coronavirus cases in the country were up to 9,684 with 637 deaths and 1,408 recovered from the virus.

This outbreak affects many people not only students, but also workers & non-workers, farmers, vendors and even those in higher ranks whether rich or not, healthy or malnourish. This virus fears no one. I as a college student of Bicol University was also affected in this pandemic, say for an instance, I can’t go back to my boarding house to get school related materials because the port of every province were closed to lessen the number of people going inside within the scope of the province. And it’s not my fault to left important things for I didn’t expect that a one-week suspension can quickly turn to 2-month vacation or more. Many people are returning in the province because of the outbreak and I just can’t go out easily because of this fear that I might be infected and affect my whole family for most of them are old and can’t take risks because their immune system are not that strong like teenager. And our basic needs like vitamins and medicine are out of stock in the market, food that can be bought in the market are no longer safe, products that are being bought outside undergo deep washing to remove the bacteria around it. Everyone in the house stays for the safety of the whole. My academic learning was also affected for school classes were suspended and some profs gives a lot of home works to do which will be pass online which I sometimes can’t for the internet connection is poor but despite of this I look on the brighter side that if I had nothing to do, it may affect my mental health and poor learning follows. It may be hard that were staying at home which we are supposed to be studying in school but no one did expect this to happen and health matters most than academic.

In the current situation, if the number of Covid-19 continue to increase, lot of people might be affected especially those who can’t afford to buy food, for the government can no longer supply food for them, because the country doesn’t have sufficient budget for those under the masses category. They might not be affected by the virus but the thought that they don’t have food to eat they may possibly die because of hunger. The Philippines was lockdown since the President announced it and this might affect the country’s economy which may lead poor to poorer. Those workers that under “no work, no pay” can experience shortage in needs. Individual’s health is at risk and safety doesn’t matter at all for those who are experiencing deep hunger and for those who crave for government’s supply and the so called “ayuda”.

In conclusion, if this kind of living continues, lot of people will suffer and the number of deaths may increase. Covid-19 is a very dangerous virus that can affect every individual, young. old or even those who do not have health conditions.