‘Hard enough to be sick, harder to lose income’ — The cost of isolation for COVID-19-hit Filipino families
‘Hard enough to be sick, harder to lose income’ — The cost of isolation for COVID-19-hit Filipino families
By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – It was January 5 when the sister of Margaux, not her real name, began to show symptoms of the dreaded COVID-19. The cost of testing was shouldered by her sister’s company and the rest of the family members quarantined themselves as soon as she received the positive result six days later.
While she considers her household as belonging to the middle-class, Margaux could not help but feel anxious. As of this writing, she, her parents, and her grandfather are still recuperating from mild symptoms of what they believe is COVID-19— body pain, cough, colds, and fever.
“We are isolated for a week now and I can say that a lot has already changed in terms of livelihood,” Margaux said.
With the Omicron variant at hand, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines has surged this month, with no less than 30,000 a day in the past few days alone. The government said there could be more new cases, with many opting not to be tested for the virus and just manage the symptoms.
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