Fil-Ams continue to have low vaccination...

than 39,000 health care workers have contracted COVID-19 and 191 have died — Filipino Americans comprise about 12% of all health care workers and 11% of health care support jobs, like assistants in nursing homes.

A National Nurses United (NNU) report released in September 2020 entitled, “Sins of Omissions”, indicated that at least 329 RNs have died of COVID-19 and related complications since the beginning of the pandemic. The data collection tracked deaths up until February 11, 2021, and also found that at least 3,233 health care workers, including RNs, have died from the virus.

Of the 329 deaths, 83 individuals were of Filipino descent, according to the NNU report.

“Eighty-three (26.4 percent) of the 314 registered nurses, for whom race/ethnicity data is available, who have died of COVID-19 and related complications are Filipino.

They make up four percent of registered nurses in the United States,” the report said.

Among the 170 RNs of color who have died, nearly half (48.8%) have been Filipino. The data comes from 314 registered nurses for which race and ethnicity data is available.

In Los Angeles alone, about 23.1% of the total employed registered nurses are Filipinos, based on a study by University of California (UC) San Francisco (UCSF).

Historical trauma, religion

In a study entitled “The Role of Religions in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review,” the authors recognized that “culture, religion and health are closely intertwined, profoundly affecting people’s attitudes and behaviors as well as their conception and experience of illness and disease.

Wherever in the world they live, most Filipinos — especially those who grew up mostly in an environment full of myths, superstitious beliefs and strong religious ties — are still somewhat governed by these cultural and ancestral influences.

But Roy Caballero, an elder at Rosewood Methodist Church in Los Angeles, dismissed these influences and pointed out that he has not encountered any form of misinformation at churches, at least within his own congregation.

When asked if religious leaders in his place of worship have, in any way, influenced his decision to get inoculated, Caballero said, “No, my church just informed us about safety protocols.” “Our church observed all government directives. Yes we closed for a while but continued our worship services online. We opened as soon as the government said it was safe,” he added.

The 70-year-old Caballero, who lives in Glendale, admitted that he previously had no plans of getting the vaccine because he believed that following the safety protocols would protect him against COVID-19.

However, his hospitalization in 2021 necessitated the administering of the vaccine.

“I had a back injury for surgery and they required me to get vaccinated along with other vaccines like pneumonia and flu. And it was okay by God’s grace,” he recalled.

With a bit of knowledge on medications having worked with pharmaceutical companies before, Caballero said, “personally, I try to avoid all of them including vaccines. But I wouldn’t be a stubborn old man and refuse doctor’s orders,” he opined.

Caballero’s decision to be vaccinated, he said, is likewise influenced by close family ties.

“My sister and daughter are nurses and they’ll be the first ones who will scold me if I don’t cooperate,” he added.

Lerma Silo, 73, who migrated to the U.S. when she was in her late 60s, said she never considered taking any other forms of medication in lieu of vaccine since she really got scared when she heard a lot of elderly people dying because of COVID-19. “My daughter told me not to take any chances. The moment the vaccine arrived and ready, I got it,” she said.

Silo, a devout Catholic from Gardena, was convinced that fervent prayers and early vaccination saved her life when she got exposed to the virus.

In her late 60s, Letty (not her real name) from Torrance, had a long compelling time before her daughter, who is a doctor, could persuade her to get vaccinated.

“With all the news coming out in social media saying this is just a simple case of flu but became a conspiracy theory, and a money making plot by pharmaceutical firms, and targeting and getting rid of elderly and sick people to save on pension funds and health care benefits were really just too much to bear then,” said Letty.

But with her daughter’s assurance, she eventually agreed to get the Moderna vaccine.

Asian American seniors aged 65 and older were on top of the vaccination rate chart of LA County Department of Public Health at 86.5%.

Preliminary observations from The FILLED Project (FILipino Lived Experiences during COVID-19) published by the International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health revealed that “health outcomes for Asian American subgroups are often aggregated, masking unique experiences and disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically among Filipino Americans.”

From April to August 2021, the FILLED Project launched a cross-sectional online survey between among Fil-Am adults in Southern California to document community issues and outcomes during the pandemic.

Among 223 participants, 47.5% were immigrants, 50.9% identified as essential workers, and 40.6% had a pre-existing health condition before the pandemic.

Despite high rates of health insurance (93.3%), 24.4% of the sample did not have a regular health care provider.

Most respondents felt that the COVID-19 vaccination was a personal responsibility to others (76.9%) and the majority had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (82.4 %).

On COVID-19 impact, participants reported moderatesevere changes in their daily routines (73.5%), access to extended social support (38.9%), housing issues (15.4%), and access to medical care (11.6%).

This study was believed to be the first community-driven effort highlighting Fil-Am community experiences with the vaccine in Southern California, where the highest proportion of Fil-Ams in the United States reside.

The FILLED-commissioned survey noted that the observational findings may help community leaders, policy makers, and public health researchers in the design, development, and implementation of post-pandemic intervention strategies used by community-partnered projects that address Fil-Am and subAsian group health disparities at grassroots to societal levels.

Despite being one of the largest and most-rapidly expanding ethnic groups, the Fil-Am community's needs are poorly understood.

The survey further noted that “often aggregated with other Asian American groups, the social and economic diversity among Asian sub-ethnic groups is masked and overlooked compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Systemically, the pervasive 'model minority myth' harms sub-ethnic Asian groups as it universally stereotypes Asians as healthy and smart, erasing the diverse and unique sociopolitical, migration experiences, and/or cultural histories distinguishing Asian Americans across generations.”

The FILLED survey likewise pointed out that “such biases contributes to the lack of inlanguage and/or culturally appropriate health services and prevention material for immigrant Asian Americans whose primary language is not English; this exclusionary action skews surveillance reports with an abundance of not only English proficient individuals, but with higher income or education attainment, and more likely to utilize services or participate in research.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic thus revealed and exacerbated existing disparities among ethnic minority and marginalized groups, especially with the allocation of resources, funding, culturally appropriate outreach, and community utilization of preventative services (e.g., screening, vaccinations, etc.) Specifically, individuals with preexisting health conditions were at increased risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, intensive care, and death,” the survey added. (By Donnabelle Gatdula Arevalo/AJPress)

This article is a two-part reporting series on the COVID-19 misinformation’s impact on the Filipino American community in Los Angeles County. The Asian Journal is commissioned by the Ethnic Media Services under California Department of Public Health (CDPH) COVID-19 Myth Buster Initiative II.