Pandemic coronavirus infection (COVID-19), caused by the severe respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) syndrome, is spreading worldwide. While some countries report emergencies, others have appeared to spread the virus.
Many high-income countries have reported rising numbers of cases, and a few low-income countries like the Philippines are reporting that the COVID-19 revolution is less so. dona. To date, the island nation of Southeast Asia has killed 502,000 cases and 9,900 among its population of about 108 million.
A team of researchers at the Department of Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, and School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, said the COVID-19 dynamics in the Philippines is driven by age, communication structure, and mobility.
Models of approximate indices from the Philippines calibrated model. Moderately mixed cumulative deaths, ICU occupancy, frequency, and percentage of population recovered from COVID-19 (blue line) with blackened areas for 25th to 75th cent (dark blue) and 2 · 5th to 97 · 5th percentile (light blue) and covered with reported harmful deaths and ICU (black dots) properties. Note that only the most recent estimate of cumulative deaths and ICU ownership were included in the probability activity, with the other time points presented as proof. ICU residency data were thought to have improved over the epilepsy.
Not so bad COVID-19 revolution
The COVID-19 pandemic first reached the Philippines in January 2020, when two tourists from Wuhan City, China, arrived in the country. From there, the virus spread through communities.
So far, the country is still under community quarantine measures, where schools are still closed, and people at risk are allowed to go out, unless travel is necessary.
The scan, posted on the pre-print server medRxiv *, studied the epidemiology of COVID-19 in the Philippines and efficacy and sensitivity to microcredit policies.
The Philippines is a low- and middle-income (LMIC) country badly hit by the pandemic in the Western Pacific. However, the country managed to contain the spread of the virus while easing the most restrictive quarantine measures.
The country has not yet released vaccines but is currently in contact with vaccine providers. To prevent a coronavirus outbreak, the government has implemented non-pharmacological interventions, including school closures, community quarantines, and postponed large-scale public events .
Since October 2020, the country has moved from community quarantine orders to adherence to Minimum Health Standards (MHS) policies. These include wearing face masks and shields, social distance, and regular hand washing.
In the study, the team wanted to see why the country has controlled the spread of the virus, even though it is an LMIC. They presented a COVID-19 model based on data, including age, communication patterns, time-varying test rates, and macro- and micro-speed.
The researchers found that younger age, changes in mobility, and personal protective behaviors appear to explain why the country has maintained a less severe COVID-19 outbreak. the high-income countries.
The findings of the study show that the epidemiology of COVID-19 in the Philippines is no different from higher-income countries. For example, the nation’s hospitalization and infectious mortality rate are similar to HICs.
Also, the study confirms the significance of robust diagnostic and reporting systems to better understand the epidemiology of COVID-19. A country with younger populations may help reduce the burden of disease by having a lower percentage of elderly people, who are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. Those of old age often have a higher socio-economic status in the country and a lower risk of infection.
The team also noted that there are more intergenerational links in the country, which could reduce the disease burden as older adults often live with family facilities rather than home care, where other countries report on surging issues related to these facilities.
The findings of the study also showed that the country has fewer outbreaks than other countries because it gradually reduced quarantine measures, and people complied with the MHS.
“These results were consistent across regions that exceed a wide population density gradient, suggesting that this approach could be effective in other similar situations,” the team noted in the paper. In addition, residents use personal protective measures, which are essential while waiting to be vaccinated.
Over the past few months to the holidays, the country reports about 1,500 cases per day, leaving hospitals with the capacity of an appropriate intensive care unit.
“As people resume semi-normal activities while maintaining MHS, low discharge rates are likely to continue, but they should not override the health care system,” said the team.
The team said the country has provided an approach that other countries can help with safer interventions. This is important in countries where winter begins.
* Important message
medRxiv publish preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be seen as final, guiding health-related clinical / behavioral practice, or be treated as information established.
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