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People wearing face masks as a precaution against COVID-19 fall in line at the Monumento bus stop in Caloocan on January 3, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

 

Article (news)

How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped fear of the flu

Raphael Bosano

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176112513348920220103-covid-commuters-bus-stop-jc-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">People wearing face masks as a precaution against COVID-19 fall in line at the Monumento bus stop in Caloocan on January 3, 2021. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA —Three years since the height of health threats from the COVID-19 pandemic, the sound of coughing has once again become commonplace and unalarming.</p><p>Until more and more people recently caught the bug. Enough of them did to trigger a familiar ripple of unease from coughing meant danger.</p><p>In the past months, reports of rising influenza-like illnesses have pushed Filipinos to be more cautious, yet again. Facemasks are making a comeback in public spaces.</p><p>Health experts say the reaction is understandable, expected even. After years of living under the shadow of COVID-19, the world is still recovering from a collective trauma that changed not only how we live, but how we respond to sickness itself.</p><p>At a small stall in Quezon City, vendor Josephine Torres noticed a familiar trend. Her face masks, which have gathered dust, are selling out fast.</p><p>“Mas gustuhin ko mag-face mask kaysa mag-lockdown,” she says.</p><p>(I would rather wear a face mask than go through another lockdown)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/10/20/how-to-get-influenza-vaccine-this-flu-season-2139"><strong>How to get influenza vaccine this flu season</strong></a></div><p>Recalling how everyone had a hard time during the height of the pandemic, she said people should wear face masks when they have coughs and colds.</p><p>A few steps away, Jessica Pableo echoed the same sentiment. Both her children recently recovered from the flu, and now she’s the one down with a fever.</p><p>“Parang bumalik na naman sa dati. Sa school pa lang sinasabihan na silang mag-facemask kasi sunod-sunod na ‘yung ubo at sipon,” she says.</p><p>(It&#x27;s like a return to how we were. At my kids&#x27; school, they were told to mask up because of the rise in illnesses)</p><p>For both women, the simple act of wearing a mask isn’t just about protection. It’s also about control and to keep history from repeating itself.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Post pandemic hypervigilance</strong></div><p>Health experts call this kind of over-alertness hypervigilance — an exaggerated state of awareness of potential threats. It’s a common symptom among people who have lived through trauma, such as those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).</p><p>According to the Department of Health’s spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo, the behavior many Filipinos are showing today mirrors this very response.</p><p>“Tatlong taon tayong naka-reflex. Paulit-ulit, wash your hands, wear a face mask, maintain social distancing. Kasama sa mga alaala na ‘yon ‘yung hindi tayo makalabas, o ‘yung mga pumanaw na kamag-anak. Kaya natural lang na ganito ang reaksyon. It’s protective,” he explains.</p><p>(For three years, that was our reflex: wash your hands, wear a face mask, maintain social distancing. We also remember how we couldn&#x27;t go out, and the people we lost. So it&#x27;s natural to react this way. It&#x27;s protective) </p><p>The pandemic conditioned people to associate coughing, fever, even crowds with danger. So when a similar situation arises, even if the threat is smaller, the body reacts the same way it did during the crisis.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/10/17/doh-denies-lockdown-due-to-flu-like-illnesses-1345"><strong>DOH denies lockdown due to influenza-like illnesses</strong></a></div><p>Clinical psychologists say hypervigilance has kept people alive during times of uncertainty. But it can also make everyday life feel unsafe, even when it’s not.</p><p>Despite the unease, the DOH assures the public that today’s situation is nothing like that of 2020.</p><p>Data shows that only about 1 percent of current influenza-like illness cases in the country are linked to COVID-19. Most are caused by Influenza A, rhinovirus, and enterovirus. These viruses typically circulate during the rainy season.</p><p>From over 10,000 influenza-like illnesses in mid-September, the number dropped to 6,457 by early October. Still, the DOH warns that complacency could reverse that trend.</p><p>“Pwede pa yang tumaas kung hindi tayo mag-iingat,” Domingo cautions.</p><p>(It could still go up if we aren&#x27;t careful)</p><p>Unlike COVID-19, flu has long been endemic in the Philippines. Doctors and hospitals know how to handle a rise in cases, and vaccines are readily available. But what lingers long after the virus, is the psychological imprint of the pandemic years.</p><p>The DOH now emphasizes not only whether people wear masks, but how they wear them. Proper use, which entails completely covering both the nose and mouth, matters more than mandatory policies.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/10/15/-wala-pong-outbreak-doh-clarifies-flu-cases-within-normal-range-2157"><strong>‘Wala pong outbreak’: DOH clarifies flu cases within normal range</strong></a></div><p>He said the DOH would rather that people wear face masks voluntarily and correctly rather than wear them incorrectly because they were told to do so.</p><p>People are no longer masking out of fear alone, but out of learned precaution. It’s a subtle but important shift, from panic to preparedness.</p><p>Three years may have passed since the pandemic’s height, but the emotional echoes remain. Every spike in fever or rise in cases reawakens the dread of lockdowns, isolation, and loss.</p><p>Yet, as experts point out, this heightened alertness is not a flaw. It’s a sign that people have learned.</p><p>The pandemic rewired society to recognize invisible threats, to value science, data and prevention, and to act collectively.</p><p>Perhaps the real challenge now is not to unlearn caution, but to reframe it  and transform fear into awareness.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GmjdwfhvPds?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Three years since the height of health threats from the COVID-19 pandemic, the sound of a coughing has once again become ordinary. Until more and more people recently caught the bug. So much so that it has triggered a familiar ripple of unease; when such sound actually means danger.</p>

Three years since the height of health threats from the COVID-19 pandemic, the sound of a coughing has once again become ordinary. Until more and more people recently caught the bug. So much so that it has triggered a familiar ripple of unease; when such sound actually means danger.

When coughing feels like a warning: How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped fear of the flu

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When coughing feels like a warning: How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped fear of the flu

Raphael Bosano,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 22, 2025 06:14 PM PHT

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Updated Oct 22, 2025 07:32 PM PHT

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