Today, October 1, the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, Inc. and the University of the Philippines Population Institute join the whole world in celebrating the International Day of Older Persons. Through our research, we contribute to the promotion of healthy and active aging among Filipino older people and to ensure a society for all ages.

This research brief aims to bring to fore, the implications of the increasing number of COVID-19 positive cases on the need to have more health care workers and of the importance of protecting those in the line of duty. We highlight the gap in the country’s health workforce, particularly in the number of doctors, nurses and midwives prior to COVID-19 pandemic based on the latest census data of 2015, and projections on the health professionals in the country. The analysis also draws information from the 2018 National Migration Survey (NMS) which provides detailed information on health professionals by occupation category (PSA & UPPI, 2019) and the 2018 Occupation Wages Survey (OWS), a survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) nationwide every two years covering establishments employing at least 20 workers.

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When community transmission of COVID-19 became apparent in the Philippines, older persons were deemed most vulnerable mainly because they tend to have comorbidities that make them at higher risk to COVID-19 infection. Around the time the NCR was placed under ECQ, there were already 142 COVID-19 positive cases all over the country. These infected individuals have a median age of 50 with women slightly older than men (51 vs 50 years).

Over time and as the number of cases increased, the distribution across age groups has shifted, skewing towards the younger population. In mid-July 2020 or 4 months after various levels of community quarantine were imposed, the median age of COVID-19 positive individuals has declined to 37 years old. By then, COVID-19 positive women are found to be two years younger on average than men, in contrast to the pattern found four months earlier.

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The previous research brief sheds light on the limitations of the BP² by discussing the results of the 2018 NMS. This research brief delves further into the determinants of internal migration in the Philippines, particularly patterns of recurrent movements by highlighting the demographic and social groups that are more likely to move and what the findings imply for policymaking and/or crafting programs for equitable urban and rural growth.

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