Philippines, Myanmar 'particularly concerning' amid COVID-19 spread -UN

The United Nations (UN) on Thursday said the Philippines’ situation amid the coronavirus pandemic is “concerning” due to the country’s “weak” healthcare system and pre-existing humanitarian caseloads.

In its policy brief on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Southeast Asia, the UN said that the Philippines was among the countries in the sub-region that might be considered vulnerable.

“Among the 11 countries covered in this brief, the situation is particularly concerning for Myanmar and the Philippines, which have pre-existing humanitarian caseloads,” the report read.

“To date the hardest hit South-East Asian countries in terms of reported fatalities have been Indonesia and the Philippines,” it added.

The Philippines received a low rating in two areas in the “preparedness dashboard” for COVID-19 because the country only has two nurses and midwives and 10 hospital beds per 10,000 people.

The report underscored the need for a “more granular analysis of epidemiological data” to see the full picture in highly populated areas such as megacities and prisons.

The UN also noted the lack of mass testing in the Philippines, which “may be leading to under-detection and a lower capacity for monitoring the evolution of the epidemic.”

Testing czar Vince Dizon earlier expressed confidence that the government could test two million Filipinos by August, more than other Asian nations. 

Over 1.3 million Filipinos have been tested as of July 29 by 95 licensed laboratories, according to the Department of Health.

The Philippines has logged 89,374 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday afternoon, still the second-highest across Southeast Asia. 

Socioeconomic impact

The UN also said evidence indicates that women in the Philippines “are more likely to face increased unpaid domestic and unpaid care work because of COVID-19, exacerbating mental and emotional health concerns.”

The report added that the Philippines is taking a hard hit from the decline of remittances amid the pandemic, especially with up to 500,000 Filipino migrant workers expected to return home.

“This will compound the effect of lack of remittances and increase the unemployment burden at national levels,” it said.

Meanwhile, the UN also recognized the Philippines’ use of technology in combating COVID-19. 

The report also noted that the Philippines was the sole country in Southeast Asia “where refugees and stateless persons have been included in social support schemes” unlike in other nations where refugees often lack access to assistance.-NB, GMA News