transformation.

the 1940s so doctors in 1918 had to rely solely on pills for treating the flu. Modern medicine has made it possible for scientists today to create a vaccine against COVID-19 in a span of a year. Advanced technology also made detection and testing easier. However, as fast as it was to discover vaccines for the existing virus, the coronavirus has already evolved into new, more contagious variants like the B.1.1.7 variant and the B.1.617 variant fi rst detected in the United Kingdom and India, respectively, during the last quarter of 2020. A year into battling the pandemic, some countries have already emerged victorious while others continue to struggle. New Zealand is of the countries that have successfully contained the virus and have since begun to gradually resume its prepandemic ways. On the other hand, India’s healthcare system is completely overwhelmed as a second wave of coronavirus wreakshavoc in the nation. There was a significant decrease in the number of COVID cases in India from January to March leading Indian officials to believe that they were already at the “endgame” of the pandemic. They became complacent with the restrictions despite warnings from doctors and scientists of a possible second wave. April came by and with it, a second, deadlier wave of coronavirus. What followed was a staggering increase in the number of cases in India, a couple hundreds of thousands each day. People die outside hospitals as they wait in line to be admitted inside. Much like what happened in the second wave of the 1918 pandemic, the sudden spike in the number of deaths caused the bodies to pile up. Dust and smoke fi lled the air as people are forced to cremate the bodies in make-shift crematoriums in the street. The current situation in India serves as a lesson to other countries just how situations during the pandemic can change overnight and that there simply is no room for complacency while the virus continues to spread.

Anyhow, as one door closes, another one opens.

The other fraction of COVID-19’s repercussions was the beginning of new trends and opportunities. An outbreak of start-up businesses and online jobs from logistics, educational technology, enterprise services, financial technology and healthcare sectors suddenly appeared into the mainstream. For instance, operations of food delivery services became a good fortune to the current system. GrabFood, foodpanda, LalaFood and other companies employed several Filipinos due to the increasing demand and interest led by the imposed closure of restaurants and diners during this pandemic.

Moreover, the trend of retail establishments flooded the country. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. created a path for people to survive. Online selling of apparels, pastries, and other possibilities became an irresistible option to generate income for living. And with technology serving as the backbone, 84% of the founders say that they expect to have normalized operations within six months.

As of writing, there are 166 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide and 3.34 million deaths. Though vaccines show promise, the transmission and death rates are still high, and with how fast the virus is mutating, the numbers will rise inevitably in the foreseeable future. At this stage, the pandemic, sadly, is nowhere near its end. In just a short span of time, the COVID-19 pandemic was able to leave an enormous impact in human history which will,undoubtedly, be remembered for years to come. However, with things constantly changing, this

At some point, however, not all individuals are showered by luck. There are people who fail to magnify their businesses and produce consistent gains. As a result, growing online barter networks have revealed another facet of the Filipino culture of “bayanihan,” as they assist people in obtaining their necessities as well as wants without spending money. It works as people post items up for barter, while other members can post their counteroffers in the comment section, and a “deal” between two parties will be made. Indeed, this cashless exchange became an instant hit; it became a tool to ease down the current pain of our people especially here in the Philippines. Starting from the City of Love, Iloilo City, this avenue became widely popular to Bacolod, Davao, and other cities throughout the country.

Notwithstanding, as the COVID-19 pandemic is restricting local dwellers away from public transit, a huge pandemic, like others that came before, is merely a sign of the times, a portrait of how things are now before they change again forever. The road to completely ending the pandemic stretches ahead but if there was one more important lesson we could get from the 1918 pandemic — it is that mankind will recover.

Accordingly, the generation of COVID-19 vaccines has been given much attention and prioritization. The United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries have provided emergency authorization to three COVID vaccinations. Two of the vaccines, manufactured by central pharmaceutical corporations like Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna, respectively, both utilized mRNA – a breakthrough genetic technology. The third vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, employs a chimpanzee virus to transfer DNA for a component of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. (While Russia, China, and India have developed their own vaccinations, they have not been widely approved outside of a few nations.)

Altogether, the rapid spread of the virus and the necessity of waiting for effective treatments or vaccines highlight the importance of changing human behavior to contain the pandemic. COVID-19 era has been a period of transformation. The Philippines has broadened and narrowed at the same time. It will be known throughout history –may it be local, national, or global – in a sudden flash as the metamorphic phase of the century.