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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