Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a supertyphoon: A quantitative study in Cebu, Philippines

• Published in: PLOS global public health 2024, Vol.4 (12), p.e0004008
• Main Authors: Ylade, Michelle, Adhikari, Bipin, Crisostomo, Maria Vinna, Daag, Jedas Veronical, Cuachin, Anna Maureen, Lopez, March Helena, Macasero, Angela, Agrupis, Kristal An, Deen, Jacqueline
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Medicine and Health Sciences; People and Places; Social Sciences
• ISSN: 2767-3375; 2767-3375
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004008

Pandemics and natural disasters are recognized to cause major disruptions. The main objective of this study was to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and supertyphoon Odette in Cebu, Philippines. A total of 2630 participants were interviewed exploring the impacts of COVID-19 and supertyphoon Odette. The majority of the respondents (2486/2630; 94.5%) had financial problems due to COVID-19. Almost three out of four respondents (1962/2630; 74.6%) experienced moderate to severe impact on their mental health. Almost a third of the respondents (874/2630; 33.2%) reported moderate to severe impact on their physical well-being, mostly related to weight-related disorders. Almost half of the respondents (1248/2630; 47.5%) experienced moderate to severe impacts on their relationships with family members, relatives, friends and neighbors. More than two-thirds of the respondents (1673/2360; 63.6%) reported moderate to severe financial problems due to supertyphoon Odette. Households who were financially impacted by Supertyphoon Odette were more likely not have recently migrated to their current residence (p