A Virus Among Us: Filipinos and COVID-19
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Nurse May Parsons and UK citizen Margaret Keenan
According to Daniel Pruce, UK ambassador to the Philippines, Parsons “is one of the many thousands of Filipino health care workers making such an enormous contribution to the National Health Service.”
Indeed, Filipino nurses and health care workers have played a significant role in the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have also been disproportionately impacted by it. In the United States, according to the National Nurses United, Filipino nurses make up 4 percent of the nursing population in the US but represent 30% of total Covid-19 deaths. In California, the statistics are more dire. One in every 5 nurses in the State is Filipino, yet they make-up 70 percent of all COVID-19 deaths among nurses. Philippine-trained nurses are disproportionately more likely to work in Intensive Care Units, Emergency Departments, and long-term care facilities, like nursing homes, compared with white, US-trained nurses, thereby exacerbating their exposure to COVID-19.
Filipinos make up 12 percent of all health care workers in California and 11 percent of healthcare support staff (LVN’s, CNA’s, janitorial) so it could be argued that because so many are involved in frontline work, particularly in health care settings, many Filipinos are exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Excess risk for COVID-19 infection have been observed in Black and Latino communities nationally. In California, however, particularly in Los Angeles, COVID-19 rates per capita, is highest among Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (NHPI) (7,766 cases for every 100,000 NHPI) followed by Latinos (4,136 cases for every 100,000 Latinos) compared with 1,602 per 100,000 whites.
The case-fatality rates (the number of deaths among COVID cases), is highest among Asian Americans in California, Los Angeles, and San Diego. In Los Angeles County, 6.8 percent of Asian-Americans with COVID-19 have died (1,101 deaths out of 16,307 COVID cases), followed by Black COVID-19 patients (4.9 percent have died), compared to lower case-fatality rates among Latinos (2 percent).
Unfortunately, data for Asian Americans is not disaggregated by country of origin, so we don’t know whether Filipinos experience a higher case-fatality rate compared with Vietnamese, Chinese or other Asians. However, because we know that as Asian Americans, our chances of survival are lower than other groups, we should take more precautions, including seeking health care early, rather than delaying care.
Parsons administering the Covid-19 vaccine to Keegan (Source: AP)
Asians in general have the lowest number of persons getting tested for COVID-19. Some of the reasons are lack of access to health care, immigrant status, and fear of racist attacks blaming Asians for the “China virus.” However, it is important to know whether you are infected so that you do not spread the virus to others in your home, the community, or workplace.
How can we decrease our chances of getting the virus and being hospitalized? It is easier said than done. Filipinos often live in multigenerational households with an elderly person, or someone with a health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure. These people are most vulnerable when contracting the virus. Some Filipinos live in multi-family apartments, in close proximity to others who may be exposed to the virus. So, when a Filipino nurse is exposed to COVID-19 at work and needs to isolate at home for 14 days, he/she should ideally have access to his/her own bedroom and bathroom to avoid infecting other family members.
Also, public transportation and other shared indoor spaces, like churches, are venues for exposure; singing at church and at karaoke clubs have been associated with COVID outbreaks, since infected individuals (who may not be aware they are infected) expel more virus particles while singing or shouting.
Christmas and New Year’s are around the corner. It is tempting to get together with loved ones at this time, especially since Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in our community. But being in an enclosed space with friends and family can be dangerous for the whole household.
“By administering a vaccine to a 90-year-old woman in the UK, May Parsons signaled the beginning of the worldwide effort to contain the virus. She said, “My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it!” ”
Throughout the US today, there is a surge of COVID cases that is overwhelming the health care system, leading to an exhausted workforce as well as shortages in hospital bed capacity and medical supplies. Deaths have risen astronomically, leading health care experts to project almost half a million deaths in the US by March of 2021.
With the roll-out of the COVID vaccine, we are nearing the home stretch; but because of the limited number of vaccines, and distribution prioritizing essential workers and elderly communities, the rest of us won’t have access to the vaccine until spring 2021. This is not the time to let down our guard. We need to continue to wear masks, which protect us against other respiratory infections, get our flu shots, maintain physical distance, and wash our hands frequently. We need to pay attention to COVID-related symptoms, consider keeping a thermometer and pulse oximeter at home. Get tested when we recognize symptoms or are exposed to a case. Seek health care early, manage our (and our elderly parents’) health conditions, including eating nutritiously and being physically active. Maintain good glucose control if you have diabetes, monitor blood pressure if hypertensive, and take care of your mental health by connecting with friends and relatives by phone or video chat. Our behaviors today will determine whether we will have our vulnerable loved ones with us on Christmas next year.
Although it may be a gloomy holiday season, there is light at the end of the tunnel. By administering a vaccine to a 90-year-old woman in the UK, May Parsons signaled the beginning of the worldwide effort to contain the virus. She said, “My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it!”
CA Notify App
This is run by the State of California to track Covid-19 as and make users aware of possible exposure to a person in the vicinity who was reported to have Covid-19.
Help fight the spread of COVID-19 in the community. Download the app here:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.ca.covid19.exposurenotifications
Susan Araneta
Susan Araneta has a Masters in Public Health from the University of California at Los Angeles. She does consulting work on health and community development issues.
