CHOLERA EPIDEMIC vs. COVID-19 PANDEMIC TIMELINE by JULIANA MANALO

COVID-19 EPIDEMIC TIMELINE

2022005121 — 2024-03-09 00:57:23 UTC

- January 30, 2020: A Chinese tourist from Wuhan visited the PH and the first confirmed case of COVID-19 happened in the country

- March 12, 2020: Former President Rodrigo Duterte announces a community quarantine in Metro Manila to contain the virus.

- March 17, 2020: Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) imposed in Luzon, affecting millions of people.

- April 24, 2020- May 15, 2020: The government extends the ECQ due to rising cases of COVİD-19

- May 16, 2020: Metro Manila transitions to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with varying degrees of restrictions.

- August 4, 2020: The Philippines surpasses 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

- October 12, 2020: Department of Education begins the school year with distance or online learning as physical classes remain suspended.

- January 2021: The government secures deals for COVID-19 vaccine procurement.

- March 1, 2021: Vaccination rollout begins with frontline healthcare workers receiving the first doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac.

- August 6, 2021: The Philippines surpasses 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases.

- November 29, 2021: President Duterte lifts the requirement of wearing face shields outdoors.

- February 25, 2022: The Philippines detects its first cases of the Omicron variant, prompting tightened border controls and quarantine measures.

CHOLERA EPIDEMIC TIMELINE

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March 14, 1902: Cholera outbreak begins in Manila during the Philippine-American War.

-April 7, 1902 cholera first appearance in Laguna

- April, 24, 1902: Cholera spreads to Laguna province.

-May 1, 1902: The ports opened. The disease attacked first the ports and then spread back into the country

-Mid june 1902: In Laguna, Batangas, and part of the province of Tayabas cholera (had) spread. Hundreds of cases having occurred without a report

-August 1902: Poverty and Malnutrition, together with poor sanitation are mentioned as one of the causes of the malignancy of the epidemic among the lower class.

September-October 1902: Cholera cases and deaths in southwestern luzon declined.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

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Similarities between the Cholera Epidemic (1902-1905) and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines:

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● In both cases, public health measures such as sanitation improvements, disinfection efforts, and public education campaigns were implemented to limit transmission of the disease yet it didn’t stop the virus from spreading rapidly.

● During both the cholera epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine government took precautions to limit the spread of the disease. These measures included regulations regarding quarantine, travel restrictions, and the establishment of healthcare facilities.

● Both had significant impacts on the society or the population including economic disruptions and loss of livelihoods. In both instances, fear and panic spread among the population, leading to discrimination against affected individuals.

Differences between the Cholera Epidemic (1902-1905) and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines:

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● The modes of transmission and symptoms of the two diseases differ, requiring different approaches to containment and treatment. Cholera is a fatal bacterial disease, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhea, while COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness primarily spread through respiratory droplets.

● The period between the cholera epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic differ when it comes to significant advancements in the medical field, including the development of vaccines and modern healthcare infrastructure. As a result, the Philippines was better equipped to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the cholera epidemic.

● The COVID-19 pandemic occurred in an era of globalization and increased connectivity, allowing the virus to spread rapidly across the globe while the cholera epidemic occurred during a time when travel and communication were more limited, limiting the spread of the disease to some extent.