8  THE INTERRELATEDNESS OF HUMAN BEINGS AS HIGHLIGHTED BY COVID‐19
The need for numerous safe isolation or quarantine facilities brings attention to how easily the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus can spread; one measure for this parameter is the basic reproduction number. The basic reproduction number or basic reproductive number (R0) of a disease indicates the number of people that an initially infected person will transmit the infection to assuming no one yet in the population is immune to the disease.113 Liu, Y., et al. (2020). The Reproductive Number of COVID‐19 Is Higher Compared to SARS Coronavirus. Journal of Travel Medicine. 27(2). Retrieved April 28, 2020, from https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/27/2/taaa021/5735319
On March 6, 2020, the WHO reported a reproductive number of 2 to 2.5.114 World Health Organization. (2020, March 6). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) Situation Report ‐ 46. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 28, 2020, from https://www.who.int/docs/default‐source/coronaviruse/situation‐reports/20200306‐sitrep‐46‐covid‐19.pdf?sfvrsn=96b04adf_4
Another estimate put COVID‐19’s R0 at around 3.28 based on figures from different regions in China and overseas.115 Liu, Y., et al., op. cit. note 113.
To make sense of R0, for instance the 3.28 figure, one person who has COVID‐19 will infect around three people with COVID‐19; total cases are now four. Each of these three newly infected will also infect three more, adding nine new cases to the previous total of four. Each of the nine new cases will infect three, and so on.
From these numbers, one can make sense of how COVID‐19 is said to have exponential growth, seen internationally116 NEWS WIRES. (2020, April 1). Last updated 2020, April 1. WHO Troubled by 'Near Exponential' Growth of Coronavirus Pandemic. France 24. Retrieved July 6, 2020, from https://www.france24.com/en/20200401‐who‐troubled‐by‐near‐exponential‐growth‐of‐coronavirus‐pandemic
and in the Philippines117 David, G., et al. (2020, June 29). Last updated 2020, July 2. COVID‐19 Forecasts in the Philippines: NCR, Cebu and COVID‐19 Hotspots as of June 25, 2020. University of the Philippines. Retrieved July 6, 2020, from https://www.up.edu.ph/covid‐19‐forecasts‐in‐the‐philippines‐ncr‐cebu‐and‐covid‐19‐hotspots‐as‐of‐june‐25‐2020/
. With exponential growth, as more people get infected, the faster will be the rate of new infections occurring. This growth rate is opposed to a linear growth rate where the rate of new infections occurring stays the same over time. From this picture, we can understand how quickly an entire population can be infected.
As a note of comparison, on March 3 of this year, the WHO announced COVID‐19’s global mortality rate of 3.4%, more than 3 times higher than that reported for seasonal flu’s 1%.118 Ghebreyesus, T.A. (2020, March 3). WHO Director‐General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID‐19 ‐ 3 March 2020. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 28, 2020, from https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who‐director‐general‐s‐opening‐remarks‐at‐the‐media‐briefing‐on‐covid‐19‐‐‐3‐march‐2020
We have seen how quickly seasonal influenza can be passed on from one person to another and these reproductive numbers are up to more than 3 times higher than that for seasonal influenza’s 1.3.119 Coburn, B.J., Wagner, B.G., & Blower, S. (2009, June 22). Modeling Influenza Epidemics and Pandemics: Insights into the Future of Swine Flu (H1N1). BMC Medicine. 7(30). Retrieved July 6, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2715422/pdf/1741‐7015‐7‐30.pdf
Although the reproduction numbers have gone down since the onset of the pandemic, the large number of people already affected, the capability of asymptomatic patients to transmit the infection, the lack of knowledge concerning other aspects of the disease, and the impact of the prolonged containment measures on social, psychological and economic issues have made it difficult to control further spread of the disease.
This ease with which the virus can spread has highlighted the interconnectedness and interdependence of people that SARC‐CoV‐2 has thrived on in its destructive effects. It is somewhat ironic that it has taken a tragedy like the COVID‐19 pandemic to remind us, human beings, that we are all bound together by common conditions. While each of us can have different lifestyles with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, the threat of the virus becomes clearer with more cases accruing. Even if the most economically secure among the population are able to isolate themselves in the comfort of palatial homes, their survival requires the promotion of the welfare of other people whom they need in their lives. For example, the rich need the farmers to be able to plant crops and every worker in the food chain to be able to function, so there can be products that can be bought in the market. Many of the rich probably took that for granted until they realized that they had to engage in panic‐buying in order to ensure their food supply when quarantine regulations took effect. Faced with the prospect of food becoming scarce, people had to accept that those workers needed fair access to health care because if they succumbed to the virus the food chain could break. As such, farmers, fisherfolk, food delivery workers, cashiers, grocery baggers, and customer care staff have been hailed as frontliners and heroes.120 Cator, C. (2020, April 11). DA: Agriculture and Fisheries Workers Are Frontliners in COVID‐19 Fight. CNN Philippines. Retrieved July 7, 2020, from https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4/11/da‐agriculture‐and‐fisheries‐players‐workers‐frontliners‐coronavirus.html
, 121 DA Communications Group. (2020, May 27). Farmers, Fishers Take Spotlight as Food Security Frontliners. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved July 7, 2020, from https://www.da.gov.ph/farmers‐fishers‐take‐spotlight‐as‐food‐security‐frontliners/
, 122 Pobre, A. (2020, March 26). 3 Non‐Medical Philippine Frontliners Making Headlines During COVID‐19, Including GrabFood Delivery Men & Dancing Soldiers. The Smart Local Philippines. Retrieved July 7, 2020, from https://thesmartlocal.com/philippines/non‐medical‐covid‐frontliners/
, 123 Casilao, J.L. (2020, March 24). Non‐Medical Frontliners Detail Difficulties amid COVID‐19. GMA News Online. Retrieved July, 7, 2020, from https://www.msn.com/en‐ph/news/national/non‐medical‐frontliners‐detail‐difficulties‐amid‐covid‐19/ar‐BB11DI7Q
, 124 INQUIRER.net BrandRoom. (2020, April 24). Frontliners Leaving Home and Family to Serve amid the COVID‐19 Pandemic. Inquirer.net. Retrieved July 7, 2020, from https://business.inquirer.net/295417/frontliners‐leaving‐home‐and‐family‐to‐serve‐amid‐the‐covid‐19‐pandemic
Indeed, some people who have lived in near complete isolation have become infected even though they have been minimally exposed to such frontliners.125 Kingsu‐Cheng, J. (2020, July 17). Divine Lee Tested Covid‐19 Positive—but No One in her Household Has Been out since March. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://mb.com.ph/2020/07/17/divine‐lee‐tested‐covid‐19‐positive‐but‐no‐one‐in‐her‐household‐has‐been‐out‐since‐march/
As more people get infected, fewer and fewer safe spaces are left. This is a message that we get from the experiences in almost every community, but especially in high‐density spaces such as crowded informal settlements, prisons, workplaces, public transport facilities, supermarkets, or even hospitals. Hence, we are not merely talking about interconnectivity of humans in an abstract sense that is more closely associated with philosophical discourse on concepts such as human dignity or the sanctity of human life in various contexts. We are referring to the physical interconnectivity that gives rise to concrete disease and deprivation that has affected more people with various kinds of social living conditions. We can easily take this for granted in the absence of a pandemic. But recent events have caused an alarming prevalence of the virus and its effects on society.
The interconnectedness of people of varying socio‐economic standing as highlighted by the pandemic reinforces the view that inequality needs to be reduced and prioritization of the worst off must be observed in order to achieve the best outcomes. By giving more help to those who are more in need we move in the direction of achieving the best outcomes for more people.
The impact of interconnectedness and interdependence has been felt also in relation to the increased demand for hospital facilities.