Week 21, 2020: It's The GCQ For Some Of Us, But Please Remember That The Virus Is Still Out There

A few days into the week of “freedom” for most cities around the country, the Filipino’s character has certainly been revealed. A lot of our countrymen crammed themselves into malls, “parang nakawala sa hawla,” as if we broke out of some pigpen, as the old Filipino saying goes. A lot of the frontliners feel dismayed for the lack of discipline shown by the Filipino. Memes also broke out underlining the phenomenon. We can only wait and see if the cramming of droves of newly-“released” “Pinoy Quarantiners” will result in a massive spike in Coronavirus cases.

For those who choose to #StayAtHome to #FlattenTheCurve, kudos, cheers to us who cooperate to keeping away from Coronavirus exposure.

But back to the heroes of the hour: Our Frontliners.

Our Filipino Nurses, along with our PinoyDoctors, have stood valiantly against the scourge of the COVID-19. We have witnessed them from our homes as we switched from News to Netflix to YouTube, watched the shutdown of ABS-CBN and the rants of its stars, and even the Huling El Bimbo as they aired it for a day or so—none of these binge-watching events changed the fact that our Filipino Nurses, medical technologists, radiologists, nursing assistants, other allied medical personnel, and doctors, battled the virus and other health issues in this worldwide crisis.

According to the 22^nd issue of the “Beat COVID-19 Situationer” by the Philippine Department of Health, published on the 20^th of May, 2020, at 7:09 AM, there are now 2,315 healthcare workers who have tested positive for the Coronavirus.

Of the 2,315 COVID-positive healthcare workers, here are their numbers, as sorted out by their profession:

Nurses:	842
Doctors:	671
Medical Technologists:	84
Radiologists:	42
Nursing Assistants:	144
Others (admin, barangay health workers):	284
Actively Infected:	1,306
Recovered:	974
Casualties:	35
Total Infected As Of 5/20/2020:	2,315

Of these numbers, 1,306 are still battling COVID-19, 974 have recovered, and there are 35 total casualties so far.

While the numbers of COVID-infected Filipino Nurses and Doctors have increased, it is heartening to note that the numbers of actively-infected healthcare workers have actually gone down, correlating with the numbers of healthcare workers recovering from COVID-19.

According to the 15th issue of the “Beat COVID-19 Situationer” by the Philippine Department of Health, published on the 12th of May, 2020, at 6:31 PM, 1,389 were still battling COVID-19. In that update, it was noted that 643 healthcare workers had recovered so far, while the number of casualties, pegged at 35 fatalities, have thankfully plateaued.

Data Source: COVID-19 Situationer from the DOH

It is worth noting that the new COVID-19 transmissions are significantly lower in these weeks of May 2020, compared to the same time last April, possibly signaling a “flattening of the curve,” or a lowering of the cases. Significantly good news, indeed!

Across the world, The Filipino Nurse has fought valiantly in this war against our collective invisible enemy. It is far from over, but we are witnessing a silver lining.

Keep your eyes on this space, as we deliver you stories of The Filipino Nurse worth looking forward to!

Download the latest COVID-19 Situationer from the DOH HERE.