Is 2020 calling back?
This was what some Filipinos thought amid reports of the Batangas-based volcano emitting volcanic smog or vog and a new case of mpox being detected in the Philippines.
The events have prompted some online users to comment that the year 2020 could be “repeating” itself as similar events happened four years ago.
“Tapos may smog ulit ‘yung Taal hahahahaha, magtitimpla na ba ulit ako ng Dalgona coffee????? What is this 2020 inception,” a Filipino wrote in response to the reports.
“New case of a virus in the Philippines, Taal volcano is releasing smoke again. Deja vu…” another online user commented.
Another Pinoy shared pictures featuring dalgona coffee, indoor plants, and the Zoom app — trends that used to be popular during the first months of 2020, when quarantines were imposed in a bid to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“Oh, I guess we’re back,” the online user commented.
Oh I guess we’re back https://t.co/i045gJX6rt pic.twitter.com/rMUSObo5J7
— Ralphosaur | #FURFETCH (@heyralphhey) August 19, 2024
“Quite uncanny that this coincides with Taal acting all b**chy again. January 2020 vibes,” another Filipino said in response to reports of a new mpox case.
2024’s Mpox and 2020’s COVID-19
The Department of Health on Monday reported the country’s new case of the mpox (formerly monkeypox) since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC).
READ: Philippines detects new mpox case, first since December 2023
The tag is the highest level of alarm under international health law.
The WHO recently classified the mpox virus as PHEIC amid concerns that a deadlier strain of it, the clade Ib, is spreading rapidly.
READ: WHO declares mpox a global public health emergency for second time in two years
Mpox is a viral disease that can spread easily between people and and from infected animals. While it has been around in Central and West Africa for decades, it raised concerns in 2022 when it began to spread in Europe and North America.
The virus can spread through close contact such as touching, kissing, or sex, as well as through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing, and needles.
Symptoms typically include a rash or mucosal lesions lasting two to four weeks, along with fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph node.
Four years ago, the WHO raised alarm over the spread of another virus.
COVID-19, formerly known as the novel coronavirus disease, entered the everyday vocabulary as it severely upended lives by infecting people and taking millions of lives in its wake.
WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic in March 2020.
Months before that, the Philippines recorded its first COVID-19 case, a female who traveled to Wuhan, China, which is considered the ground zero of the outbreak.
The respiratory disease continues to infect people today.
2024’s Taal Volcano smog and 2020’s Taal eruption
Taal Volcano recently raised concerns after vog was observed by state volcanologists, prompting class suspensions from Calabarzon and some cities in Metro Manila.
READ: First aid tips vs asthma attack due to vog
On Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said it had observed vog from the volcano for the past 24 hours.
The agency added that it had emitted 3,355 tonnes of sulfur dioxide as of August 15.
Taal Volcano, despite its continuous vog emissions, is still under Volcanic Alert Level 1, which means “low-level unrest.”
Four years ago, the volcano had a phreatomagmatic eruption in which its main crater spewed ashes over Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and some parts of Central Luzon, causing ashfall.
Before face masks became the norm, Filipinos were already advised to wear one due to the volcanic event to avoid respiratory issues.
Taal Volcano would continue to be in a state of unrest until 2022.
