87% of Filipinos worried a family member may get COVID-19: SWS

May 25, 2020

Eighty-seven percent of Filipinos are worried that anyone from their family will get infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to a latest report of Social Weather Stations survey. on

In their latest report, SWS said worry on COVID-19 in the Philippines is greater than in other countries like United Kingdom, Australia and United States.

SWS found that 87 percent of Filipinos are worried that anyone in their immediate family might catch the disease while 13 percent are not worried.

Of the 87 percent, seventy-three percent were worried a great deal and 14 percent were somewhat worried.

Worries about catching the virus hardly varies in Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) areas at 88 percent and General Community Quarantine (GCQ) areas at 86 percent.

“By major study areas, worries about catching COVID-19 are higher in Metro Manila at 93 percent and the Visayas at 91 percent, compared to Mindanao at 85 percent and Balance Luzon at 84 percent,” SWS said.

 “Compared to past SWS surveys, worry about catching COVID-19 is greater than worries about catching ebola at 82 percent in 2014, swine flu at 82 percent in 2009, bird flu at 83 percent in 2006, 80 percent in 2004, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) at 78 percent in 2003,” it said.

SWS also found that 94 percent of Filipinos are aware of COVID-19 symptoms, most mentioned of which are fever at 87 percent and cough at 86 percent.

Following the two most mentioned symptoms are colds at 50 percent, difficulty of breathing at 46 percent, throat pain at 33 percent, body pain at 20 percent, headache at 15 percent, diarrhea at 11 percent, and constant fatigue 2 percent.

Ten percent mentioned other unspecified symptoms.

Awareness of COVID-19 symptoms is high in both ECQ and GCQ areas, at 96 percent and 92 percent, respectively, where it is highest in Metro Manila at 98 percent.

It is followed by the Visayas at 96 percent, Balance Luzon at 94 percent, and Mindanao at 90 percent.

“Fever and cough are also the two most mentioned symptoms in all areas. Cold is the third most mentioned symptom in Metro Manila at 51 percent, the Visayas at 59 percent and Mindanao at 54 percent,” SWS said.

“Difficulty breathing is the third most mentioned in Balance Luzon at 48 percent,” it added.

The 2020 COVID-19 Mobile Survey was conducted last May 4 to 10 using mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) of 4,010 working-age Filipinos. Ella Dionisio/DMS