Covid-19: COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, is a viral disease. The virus is known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or simply SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 virus is most typically transmitted through the air in minute droplets of fluid between humans in close contact (Mayo Clinic, 2024).

Analysis: Cholera is an infection that targets the person's digestive system while on the other hand covid-19 is a virus that affects the person’s respiratory system.

Covid-19: Started in December 2019 but first recorded case in the Philippines was in January 2020. In the year 2024, cases are not that high but still there are some active cases (Baclig, 2021).

Analysis: Even Covid-19 is happening in recent years, where technology and healthcare is more advanced, it is in no denial that it lingers longer than the cholera epidemic where it only lasted for about 2 years. 

Covid-19: It was on March 12, 2020 when Metro Manila was placed in community quarantine and after this other provinces followed through making the passage of people difficult (Baclig, 2021).

Analysis: Despite the goal of quarantine mitigating the transmission of disease on both events, cases still continue to rise up. The quarantine measure both resulted in people being hungry due to not being able to go out for work and afford basic necessities. This quarantine made a toll on people’s lives since some say that this preventive measure was anti-poor because most middle to lower class families are under the working category of no work no pay.

Covid 19: The original epicenter of the virus was in Wuhan,China but it was brought to the country by a woman who came from Wuhan via Hong Kong transit. 

Analysis: Both events have a significant relation in Hong Kong, during the cholera epidemic it was because of a vessel from Hong Kong while during the Covid-19 pandemic it was because of a woman who also came from Hong Kong prior going to the Philippines.

Covid-19: Although most social classes were affected, the most affected group was also in the lower classes. This is due to implementation of lockdown where poor people struggle to cope up since most of them are in the “no work no pay” industry. Additionally, the high living cost during the pandemic has become a challenge for them. 

Analysis: Both events show a significant effect on the lower class families indicating that these kinds of health crises are anti-poor.

Covid-19: As of March 9, 2024, the Department of Health recorded a total of 66,864 deaths because of Covid-19 (Worldometer, 2024).

Analysis: Covid-19 mortality rate is higher than cholera, factors such as transmission and how long each event lasted can contribute to the number of deaths.  

Covid-19: COVID-19 virus spreads mostly by respiratory droplets and direct touch. This means that having contact with an infectious person increases the risk of becoming unwell (World Health Organization, 2020).

Analysis: The key difference between the transmission is more likely the reason why Covid-19 spread longer and quicker that result in higher death rate.

Covid-19: Under the Department of Interior and Local Government, it is recommended that the burial process will be cremation and this should be done 12 hours after the Covid patient died (Department of the Interior and Local Government, 2020).

Analysis: Both events see cremation as a process of burial for the deceased person that has the disease, this indicates that they view cremation as a process of not spreading the contagious virus/bacteria.

Covid-19: Due to the community quarantine, no gathering was allowed making those who died from covid-19 not eligible for the standard burial practice in the country which is wake viewing. It was mandated that no funeral processions were allowed as well as no marching band to send off their loved ones (Department of the Interior and Local Government, 2020).

Analysis: The families who lost their loved ones on both events does not have the chance to spent the last moments with them, instead they have no choice but to follow guidelines.

Covid-19: During the pandemic, vaccination roll out was one of the major programs of the government. They aim for high numbers of vaccinated individual. There are different brand of vaccines and few of the common vaccines in the Philippines are Sinovac, Modernna, Astrazeneca, and Pfizer.

Analysis: Covid-19 was a new disease that’s why scientists have a hard time in formulating its vaccine. Although both events does not claim that vaccine can totally save you from being infected because that’s not how vaccine works, its main goal was to mitigate the chance of you being infected.

Covid-19: Not all LGU’s did this but others did, A municipality in Rizal which is Cainta launched the program ‘Walang iwanan sa Cainta’ to help those families infected by the virus. The LGU supports the family by giving them relief goods (Cainta, Rizal).

Analysis: LGU’s during Covid were more active than during the Cholera epidemic. The pandemic releases the bayanihan spirit among filipinos leading to leaders having programs that can help their townsmen.

Covid-19: Aside from handwashing, wearing of facemask, face shield, and social distancing was strictly implemented in the Philippines in order to manage the spread of the virus.

Analysis: Although they have a different preventive measures on both events, these preventive measures both aims to protect individuals. The chosen primary preventive measure also aligns on which body system that the virus and bacteria targets. The covid 19 targets the respiratory system that is why most of it’s preventive measure is for protective the respiratory system and same goes with cholera epidemic which is the main target is the gastrointestinal system.

COVID-19 Pandemic: In the Philippines, the Department of Health in March 2020, they designed and quickly implemented a national surveillance system to make use of hospital beds that was used by COVID-19 patients in order to track down the data that is used by different levels of governance in response to the pandemic. DOH established the DOH DataCollect (DDC) Bed Tracker System. The DDC is an application that gather information from all 1906 private and public hospitals and clinics from all over the country (Cabaro et al., 2023). During the early years during the pandemic, as the infected people with COVID-19 continues to increase, the Philippine government also implemented contract tracing and they imposed travel restrictions (Amit et al., 2021).

Analysis: Both the Cholera epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is very important to take track of the patients with the said virus and/or disease in order to know how to lessen the people infected with it. By tracking them, healthcare workers will know how to control the virus/disease.

COVID-19: The National Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) protocol is grouped together to lessen the affected patients with the virus by observing and implementing proper hygiene and sanitation. This is important for everyone to know since WASH is one of the keys to improve public health. WASH is centralized to the COVID-19 response and recovery strategy (Donde et al., 2021).

ANALYSIS: Common ground between the two diseases is that proper hygiene is crucial to decrease the risk of obtaining the disease/virus.

COVID-19 Pandemic: The World Health Organization (n.d) advised the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible (as long as it follows the local government guidelines), to keep physical distance of at least 1 meter away from others, even if they don’t appear to be sick. As much as possible, stay away from large crowds as people from the crowd may be asymptomatic. Make sure to wear fitted mask when having contact with other people and/or if physical distancing is not possible and especially in places where there’s poor ventilation. WHO also advised the public to wash their hand frequently to avoid cross contamination and for proper hygiene purposes (Advice for the Public on COVID-19 – World Health Organization, n.d.).

ANALYSIS: Both governments from the epidemic and pandemic encouraged the public to get their vaccines already to lower down the risk of obtaining the disease/virus.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Since everyone was encouraged to stay indoors to reduce the risk of obtaining the virus, a lot of people were forced to quit their jobs and find new ones. In the Philippine setting, finding a job to provide food for the family is a difficult thing to do (“Tracking the COVID-19 Economy’s Effects on Food, Housing, and Employment Hardships,” 2022).

Analysis: Both the epidemic and the pandemic showcase how the spread of the disease and the virus can affect their lives. Unemployment is such an important subject to tackle since this is a source of why people cannot put food on their table and why they can’t provide for the needs of the family. 

COVID-19: The community and social responses are vital due to the global presence and the transmission of the virus. Both of these responses are important to reach marginalized populations and aid equity-informed responses. Taking into consideration the past community engagement experience with the present COVID-19 community-based recommendations shows how the communities play a big role in the prevention and control of the pandemic. Countries all around the world have come up with a way to get communities engaged in the pandemic to reduce the fatality rate and effects of the virus (Gilmore et al., 2020).

Analysis: Finding a way to encourage the community to participate in the engagement of the government and healthcare workers, may help lower the number of people affected by the said virus and/or disease. Applying beliefs from local and rural areas can encourage the public to cooperate with the guidelines.

Cabaro, B. S., Paz, G. a. T. D., Dotingco, J. B., Almirol, B. J. Q., Borlongan, G. R., Cebreros, R. O. D., Diangco, P. B., Quijalvo, K. P. B., Tan, J., & Tonato, R. R. D. (2023). Establishing a national indicator-based surveillance system for hospital bed utilization by COVID-19 patients in the Philippines. PubMed, 14(5 Spec edition), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.5.1038 

Donde, O. O., Atoni, E., Muia, A. W., & Yillia, P. T. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic: Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as a critical control measure remains a major challenge in low-income countries. Water Research, 191, 116793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116793

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Ileto, R. (n.d.). Cholera and the origins of the American sanitary order in the Philippines (p. Chapter 6).

Mayo Clinic. (2024). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/symptoms-causes/syc-20479963

World Health Organization. (2023). Cholera. World Health Organization (WHO). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cholera

World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations. World Health Organization (WHO). https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations

Worldometer. (2024). Philippines COVID - Coronavirus Statistics. Worldometer. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/philippines/

Cainta, Rizal. (n.d.). Walang Iwanan SA One Cainta. Walang Iwanan sa One Cainta. https://weareonewalangiwanan.wordpress.com/

CDC. (2023, July 25). Five basic cholera prevention steps. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/cholera/preventionsteps.html#:~:text=To%20prevent%20cholera%2C%20you%20should,drink%20and%20use%20safe%20water.

Department of the Interior and Local Government. (2020). Interim Guidelines on the Management of Human Remains for Patient Under Investigation (PUI) and Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases. DILG. https://www.dilg.gov.ph/PDF_File/issuances/memo_circulars/dilg-memocircular-2020327_b5f709a5b7.pdf

Ileto, R. (n.d.). Cholera and the origins of the American sanitary order in the Philippines (p. Chapter 6)