Filipinos living in Ireland have been "disproportionately affected" by coronavirus despite their best efforts to avoid infection through social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment, according to the Filipino consul in Ireland.
Three Filipinos have died of coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, since March while 63 people tested positive for the virus, according to data from the consulate. However, it is believed hundreds more Filipino healthcare workers have contracted the virus, said Vanda Brady, the consulate’s director of communications.
“Most do not want others to know because they are embarrassed or worry they will be discriminated against if people know they were exposed to Covid,” said Ms Brady.
Of those who say they have tested positive, most are healthcare workers and some work in factories.
Exposed
In May, Miquel Plangca, who worked in a factory in Kildare, became the third Filipino to die of the virus, leaving behind four children.
Raymond Garrett, the consulate’s honorary consul, believes Filipinos and Indians have been more exposed to the virus than any other foreign national community, given the numbers working in healthcare.
Some have worked here for nearly 20 years and are now senior staff in Irish hospitals, he said. “A lot of ICU teams are made up of more than 50 per cent Filipino staff. One major Dublin hospital has two ICU teams where 70 per cent are Filipino.”
Despite diligent personal protective equipment use they’re becoming infected and some are passing the virus on to family members, said Mr Garrett. “It’s not possible to socially isolate for months on end. Filipinos are exposed to this disease and, along with Indians, are disproportionately affected. We’re gravely concerned about the number of Filipinos with the virus.”
Many of these senior nurses are aged between 50 and 60 and thus at risk of complications if they contract the virus. "These are people who would have come to Ireland in their 30s and 40s with vast nursing experience from the Philippines. They're now coming towards the end of their careers and work in highly skilled areas like ICU."
The Irish health service has become hugely dependent in recent years on nurses from the Philippines, India and Nigeria. About 16,000 Filipinos live in Ireland with the majority working in healthcare and hospitality. Some 6,000 Filipinos work as nurses in hospitals (7 per cent of all nurses) with many more working as carers for the elderly, disabled and young children.
Some nurses who travelled home to visit family earlier this year have been stranded in the Philippines since national airports closed in March, said Mr Garrett. “They went on a three- to four-week holiday but have been gone two to three months. They still have rent to pay in Ireland but most hospitals have placed them on unpaid leave.”
The consulate is also supporting undocumented Filipinos in Ireland and has distributed food baskets to families who lost work but are not eligible for State support.
Irene Jagoba who is undocumented and works with the Migrant Rights Council of Ireland has helped people apply for the Filipino government’s once-off $200 overseas workers welfare payment but said many are still struggling to pay for food.
Of those still working, many are cocooning with their elderly patients in their homes, she said. One of these recently lost a daughter who lives in the Philippines to the virus and is grieving while she continues her care duties, said Ms Jagoba.
“It’s not just about the money, the lack of rest really affects their health. Many are suffering from depression and anxiety, so I’ve set up an online support group and check in with members.
Recovery
“Lots of undocumented people are continuing to work on the front line through this pandemic, caring for children and the elderly. Families couldn’t function without them. Some fear catching the virus but they have no choice, they have to continue working. Regularisation is so urgent now so we can live safely in these uncertain times and contribute fully to the recovery.”
Wendel Versadel, community engagement officer with the Filipino consulate, is also worried about the welfare of undocumented Filipinos and fears many remain reluctant to contact a doctor if they become ill.
Mr Versadel, a Cork-based healthcare worker who is caring for Covid-19 patients, spent nearly three weeks at a hotel to avoid passing the virus on to his wife – a nurse working with non-coronavirus patients.
He said many Filipino couples working in healthcare have struggled to look after their children during the pandemic. “Those working in the HSE are lucky because there are childcare facilities but if you both work in a nursing home and have young kids it’s really hard. If you both get the virus who is going to take care of the kids?”
Mr Versadel agrees that many Filipinos are ashamed of contracting the virus. "I know healthcare workers from nursing homes asked us for help but some don't want the community knowing they have the virus. Some Filipino nurses post about it on Facebook but only after they've recovered."
