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Stories to Remember: 3 Chinoy doctors on Cebu, COVID-19, and the “new” normal

As the months have passed, the pandemic-affected present has settled into the minds of the general public. What was once considered as the “new normal” has, as all things do, inevitably slowly faded into what is now a far less dramatic “normal.” 

However, although many have already accepted COVID-19 as a virus that vaguely haunts the back of our minds, there still rests the fact that most of us know a handful of people who have been infected, to varying degrees of severity. As we enter the second half of 2021, let’s try to take a step back and remember all that the country’s been through to get to this breathing point. 

Here, in Cebu, the COVID-19 cases have, to our relief, not been skyrocketing to new vicious peaks as they have been for the rest of the country. But that doesn’t mean that it’s all good here either. In order to get a grasp on the local situation, we’ve invited three Chinoy doctors to share with CHiNOY TV their stories and insights on the ordeals of the pandemic, what keeps them going, and their current advice on what should now be done. 

 

Jeena Megan Tanco, Chief Resident (Anesthesiology) 

Jeena Megan Tanco, aged 28, is the chief resident of Chong Hua Hospital’s anesthesiology department. When the pandemic began, her team was in charge of airway management, which involved handling patients in respiratory distress. During the worst days, they would enter COVID wards and perform emergency intubations on two to three patients in frantic succession. 

 

 

How does the COVID-19 situation at the hospital look like now? 

The hospital is definitely better-equipped to fight the virus these days than it used to be. Apart from the fact that we now have medical grade PPE, medication, and treatment modalities that are actually effective in fighting COVID-19, it helps a lot that the cases are decreasing in number. 

How was it like before, during the worst of it?

During the peak of the COVID pandemic in Cebu, around mid-last year, the hospital had declared that we were at full capacity. The isolation wards and the intensive care units were so full that some patients had no choice but to stay in the emergency room for days, hooked up to all sorts of tubes. Our hospital was even running out of ventilators. 

During one of my worst days, I remember just coming from a COVID intubation and taking a shower after doffing my PPE — since we shower after every intubation — then receiving a call for two more intubations. My hair was still dripping wet, but I had to don another suit to attend to more patients who needed emergency care. This went on for weeks. It was definitely both physically and emotionally exhausting. 

When we finally realized that the situation was getting better, it was like a breath of fresh air. When you work with COVID in the hospital, you forget everything else outside. Your focus is mainly on just getting through each shift, one step at a time. It was such a relief to be able to get through a day without donning my PPE.

What is the defining memory that you have of this pandemic, especially while working in the hospital?

When COVID broke out in Cebu, we weren’t prepared for it. Proper mask-wearing and social distancing protocols hadn’t been set in place yet, so our workforce was reduced to a third of its capacity when one of our doctors turned out to be positive for COVID and exposed a lot of my co-residents. 

I was one of the remaining residents on duty, and I remember one of my very first intubation referrals. I wore a plastic raincoat over my scrubs (because our medical-grade PPE hadn’t arrived yet) and arrived to an elderly female who was gasping for breath. As I intubated her, I could hear her daughter crying from outside our makeshift isolation area, begging for her mother to fight. My co-residents and I stood around each other wearing all sorts of donated protective gear that we hoped were enough to protect us. We struggled to find the words to explain to the patient’s family what was happening, but at the time we knew so little about COVID-19 that we tripped over our own words. We were barely keeping ourselves together. 

A few days later, she turned out to be positive for COVID-19. That was when the reality of the pandemic hit me hard. COVID-19 had arrived, and I had no choice but to swallow my fear and suit up. 

What keeps you going? What do you love about your work?

No matter how physically and emotionally exhausting this entire ordeal has been, seeing COVID-recovered patients reunite with their families and watching the number of active cases go down has been worth it. It’s been a fulfilling but humbling experience to realize that I played a role in a fight that was so much bigger than me. 

The Philippines is seen to be lagging behind its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of vaccination roll-out. How does the roll-out situation here in Cebu look to you?

We are definitely behind other countries in vaccination roll-out but I’m still thankful that we have vaccines available here. I’m happy to see people who are very willing and eager to be vaccinated, and it’s better than nothing. 

Several people are afraid of the vaccines, especially the ones that are currently available in the country. What are your views on the vaccines that we have on roll-out? 

If one would care to do proper research and not be so quick to believe misinformation from unreliable sources, we would find out that the vaccines available to us now are, in fact, effective. Knowledge is power! 

Despite the increasing number of cases nationwide, people have begun to be more lenient towards measures against COVID-19. What advice do you have to share?

COVID-19 is still here, so we must keep our guard up, regardless of the numbers or your vaccination status. Remember that mask-wearing, social distancing, and being disciplined does not only protect you but others as well. As a human being, I think it’s our responsibility to be a person for others.

Conversely, those who want to take precautions against the virus have been acquiring equipment and medicines (e.g. hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin) based on word of mouth. What are your thoughts on this trend?

Again, knowledge is power. We can’t just take information as it is, especially based on word of mouth. We must gain knowledge from the right people and the right resources and follow guidelines and recommendations that are made by people far more qualified than us.

 

Aaron Ong, Resident Physician 

Aaron Ong, aged 29, is a resident physician currently working at Chong Hua Hospital. During the height of the pandemic, his routine was defined by daily check-ups on COVID-19 patients, full 24-hour shifts, and periodic week-long quarantines, as per hospital protocol.

 

 

 

How does the COVID-19 situation at the hospital look like now? 

It is much better and very manageable.

How was it like before, during the worst of it?

The worst I would say was from around May to July of last year, when I think there were close to 200 COVID-19 patients. We would be in PPE daily and almost 90% of everyone who came into the hospital had COVID. There were more patients waiting to get in the ICU than there were inside. And there were so many deaths. It was record-breaking, really. 

What is the defining memory that you have of this pandemic, especially while working in the hospital?

It was really the endless hours of COVID patients and the PPE. And it was very frustrating because, back then, treatment was still sort of based on observational studies or experience from other physicians, unlike now with numerous trials already out. 

Patients [also] usually came in late back then, maybe out of fear or ignorance. So it was just a lot of people on the ventilator left and right. We couldn’t really do much because once you succumb to it, there’s no cure. It was frustrating. Hospitals were full, so people were lining up outside. It was almost like something out of a movie.

What keeps you going? What do you love about your work?

I think just being able to serve patients and use what you know to help treat people is really exciting and humbling at the same time. It’s always nice to see your patients go home better. They are grateful to you. It’s priceless. 

How does the roll-out situation here in Cebu look to you?

I would say that I’m very proud of Project Balik Buhay or PBB, which is a private-public partnership that gets vaccines out to the masses. It’s not a perfect system, but I’m thankful for the countless volunteers and the people who actually show up to be vaccinated. There’s still so much vaccine hesitancy among the public. We need to step up efforts so that everyone can be vaccinated as soon as possible.  

Several people are afraid of the vaccines, especially the ones that are currently available in the country. What are your views on the vaccines that we have on roll-out? 

As shown in trials and real-world studies, vaccines are safe and effective no matter what the brand. We see from countries like Israel, the US, Indonesia, that, regardless of the brand, once you vaccinate enough people, the cases really go down. We can prevent severe disease and death. This is really the goal of the vaccines in the first place. The adverse effects of the vaccine occur so rarely that the benefit really outweighs the risk. 

Despite the increasing number of cases nationwide, people have begun to be more lenient towards measures against COVID-19. What advice do you have to share?

Perhaps the leniency comes with the fact that it’s no longer novel. When [the pandemic] first came out, everyone was panicking. But now, people don’t seem to mind. Everyone is out and about. But it is truly a new normal. We have to live with the virus, so we just need to observe the minimum health protocols set in place. 

Conversely, those who want to take precautions against the virus have been acquiring equipment and medicines (e.g. hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin) based on word of mouth. What are your thoughts on this trend?

It is saddening to know people trust FB posts and chain messages more than [they do] their doctor. I feel that educating people is important, so whenever I meet people who have misconceptions, I try my best to educate them and tell them to just listen to the science and the facts. 

 

Karina Rose Casing, Internal Medicine Resident

Karina Casing, aged 28, is an internal medicine resident based in Chong Hua Hospital. When cases were high, she was assigned to the COVID ward for two weeks at a time to do rounds in full PPE, after which she would undergo a week-long quarantine. As a second-year resident, she now attends to COVID-suspect and COVID-confirmed patients during her afternoons. 

 

 

How does the COVID-19 situation at the hospital look like now? 

[There are] less [COVID] patients, but there’s still a good number of [them] in the ward. It’s good that only one ward is open for COVID-confirmed patients and one COVID ICU with a small number of patients. We’ve gotten better at handling COVID, but sometimes, there are patients who come in a little too late and have a more severe manifestation of the disease.

How was it like before, during the worst of it? 

When COVID was still starting, only a handful of patients were actually positive. Then, suddenly, we opened four more wards to accommodate the sudden surge of positive patients. During the worst of it in June 2020, we would have around six intubated patients, and each of us would handle three each. People were dying every day. The waitlist line for the ICU was so long that some patients would die before getting a chance to be transferred. 

What is the defining memory that you have of this pandemic, especially while working in the hospital?

Having patients intubated left and right, dying every day. It almost seems apocalyptic. I used to think dying of a deadly virus in a pandemic was an archaic way to die, but it is in fact very possible in the modern world. 

What keeps you going? What do you love about your work?

Now that we know the disease more, we can help people earlier [to] prevent it. My desire to alleviate suffering keeps me going. I love the problem-solving my work entails. 

Several people are afraid of the vaccines, especially the ones that are currently available in the country. What are your views on the vaccines that we have on roll-out? 

I’m sure that, by now, most of us know someone who has succumbed to the disease. This is still a public health emergency, and vaccines are essential in controlling it. It’s a social and civic responsibility to get vaccinated. Side effects will always be present, but they should not stop the general public from getting vaccinated.

Despite the increasing number of cases nationwide, people have begun to be more lenient towards measures against COVID-19. What advice do you have to share?

Wear a face mask. Support local businesses from the comfort of your own home. 

Conversely, those who want to take precautions against the virus have been acquiring equipment and medicines (e.g. hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin) based on word of mouth. What are your thoughts on this trend?

If you have symptoms or [have tested] positive already, it never hurts to be checked up early. Taking these medications without the proper guidance of a doctor could be detrimental and even fatal for your health. 

 

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