An epidemiological study of COVID-19 in selected barangays in the city of Manila from March 2021 to March 2023

• Main Authors: David, Pamela P., Villanueva, Alea B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- —Philippines > Manila; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/51; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_bio/article/1044/viewcontent/2023_David_Villanueva_An_epidemiological_study_of_COVID_19_in_selected_barangays_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on the urban communities of the Philippines. The City of Manila, with its dense population and congested commercial and business establishments, is one of the epicenters for COVID-19 infection in the Philippines. Like any urban setting, the dynamics involved in pandemic response is complex and shapes how government authorities come up with an effective response to the situation. This study aims to describe how the City executed its COVID-19 vaccination program. In particular, it looks into the profile and distribution of the vaccinated population and COVID-19 infected population in 30 barangays under one Health Center, the Rosario Reyes Health Center (RRHC). The vaccination and COVID-19 infection population was described in terms of age, sex, level of severity and recovery status covering the period of March 2021 to March 2023. The datasheets provided by the Manila Health Department (MHD) were used to construct figures, graphs and distribution maps. Statistical correlation was limited as datasets comprise of two different populations. Using appropriate statistical tools, the findings of the study are: (1) pediatric and the senior groups comprise the two lowest vaccinated age groups of the population, (2) there is an association between COVID-19 severity and both sex and age (3) there is an association between vaccination and recovery from COVID-19, (4) there is an association between recovery from COVID-19 and age, but not sex, (5) the barangay’s geographical location plays a role in the spread of COVID-19 and vaccination implementation. Majority of the population infected with COVID-19 were unvaccinated or have no reported vaccination status. The 30 barangays presented in the study constitute only a small percentage of population of the City of Manila. Future studies should include the scope to more health centers in the city, a centralized database for the mapping, and a more comprehensive patient profile including comorbidities and vaccination specificities.