On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially characterized the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020b). COVID-19 is an infectious disease that can cause respiratory illness and has led to fatalities in the elderly and those who are immunocompromised or have underlying comorbidities (WHO, 2020a). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020b), it is transmitted primarily through droplets such as saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected individual sneezes or coughs. Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. There is currently no vaccine against COVID-19, nor is there a specific antiviral treatment. The CDC recommends that the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to it. For those who are positive for the virus, they recommend seeking medical care to relieve symptoms (CDC, 2020b). 

Cases of the virus were first detected in Wuhan, China during the period of December 12 to December 29, 2019. On February 2, 2020, a man in the Philippines died from the virus-- marking the first death outside of mainland China since the outbreak (CNN Editorial Research, 2020).

challenges to PRevention and control

The Philippine government has been highly criticized for the way it has handled the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the Philippines is struggling with a lack of resources and guidance from its leaders. Frank and Grady (2020) assert that poor communication and the inability to compromise had delayed decision-making which could have possibly contained the virus sooner. Government officials had contradicted each other in discussing what the Philippines lockdown will entail, such as who is allowed to go outside, whether or not public transport will continue and whether food producers will continue to work (Frank and Grady, 2020). Santos (2020) stated that the country does not have enough tests for the virus and personal protective equipment (PPE) is limited. One nurse states that their surgical masks are “as this as tissue paper” but they “don’t have a choice” (Santos, 2020, para.16). Santos (2020) adds that there is a lack of health care personnel to care for the infected. The doctor-to-patient ratio in the Philippines is estimated to be around one doctor for every 33,000 patients, and only one hospital bed is available for every 1,121 Filipino patients. The lack of healthcare personnel derives from the low-pay and quick turnaround of many Filipino hospitals. One nurse states that there are “standard protocols for the handling of new and emerging diseases. But quick turnaround of health workers, who seek higher-paying jobs in other hospitals or outside the country, makes it difficult to implement the policy” (Santos, 2020, para. 12).