More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
The government is preparing for the fourth vaccination drive. This time they will focus on far flung, hard-to-reach areas.
 |
| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/03/09/2166021/4th-massive-covid-19-vaccination-push-reach-remote-areas-doh |
The fourth round of the government’s vaccination push will focus on making COVID-19 vaccination more accessible in far-flung areas in the country, the Department of Health said.
The DOH said it will reach Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) and areas where indigenous peoples reside during the fourth National Vaccination Days set on March 10 to 12.
Authorities are aiming to vaccinate 1.8 million people during the upcoming immunization push. According to the DOH, the targets are “more contextualized in consideration of areas with low vaccination rates and coverage.”
The vaccination drive will also prioritize the vaccination of individuals due for second doses and senior citizens who remain unprotected.
Pharmacies, primary care clinics, occupational health clinics, transportation terminals, and churches are being utilized as vaccination sites, the DOH said. The government is also conducting house-to-house vaccination to reach the elderly.
They did not meet their goal last time but now the target number is so low they might just do it this time. But alas, that was not the case.
 |
| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/03/13/2166854/vax-drive-nets-less-50-target |
Less than half of the 1.8 million target for the three-day National Vaccination Days (NVD) Part 4 was achieved after the first two days of inoculation, the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday.
At a public briefing, DOH Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center head Myrna Cabotaje said only 836,162 individuals received their COVID-19 jabs during the NVD on March 10 and 11.
“We were able to vaccinate 836,162 or 44.49 percent of our target … Majority of the vaccinees are for second doses and booster shots,” Cabotaje said.
She noted that the uptake of vaccines among senior citizens remained low, with only 23,868 availing.
Data showed 359,546 individuals availed of the NVD for their second dose and 202,915 for the first dose. There were 273,701 recipients for boosters.
“The complacency is still there because they think they no longer need boosters since they already had the second dose. They also think cases are decreasing so there is no threat anymore,” Cabotaje said, adding that senior citizens also have the fatalistic attitude that they no longer need the vaccines because of old age.
Because of the low turnout, she said the government is studying if there is a need to extend the NVD activities.
People are in fact turning down being vaccinated due to the low number of cases.
 |
| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/03/13/2166987/filipinos-turning-down-vaccines-covid-19-cases-decline-doh |
The National Vaccination Operations Center is considering donating COVID-19 vaccines close to their expiry dates to other countries as Filipinos have been turning down jabs, it said Sunday morning.
Speaking in an interview aired over DZBB Super Radyo, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, who is chairperson of NVOC, said that this was due to complacency and vaccine hesitancy from Filipinos.
"Our health workers are really struggling to convince people to get vaccinated...They go from house to house but even though some are at home, they still don't want to get vaccinated," she said in mixed Filipino and English, adding that it could be better to donate to make sure the jabs don't go to waste.
With the pandemic almost over it probably would be wisest to hold out and not get injected with the experimental mRNA injection.
DOH Secretary Duque says excess vaccines will be sent to other countries.
 |
| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/824530/duque-gov-t-to-donate-excess-vaccine-doses-to-other-countries/story/ |
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Thursday the Philippine government is looking at donating several COVID-19 vaccine doses to Myanmar, Cambodia, and some African countries, as the country’s current supply is “stable.”
During a Laging Handa briefing, Duque said the country’s vaccine stockpile has continuously increased since October 2021, and with some doses nearing expiration, the government decided to give away supplies to countries with low vaccination coverage.
[Donating near-expiry vaccine doses we won't be able to use is a good goal as we can help other countries where COVID-19 is still thriving, but vaccine is in short supply.]
(We are looking at Myanmar, Cambodia, and several countries in Africa. The NVOC is still determining how many vaccines will be donated.)
Duque added that AstraZeneca has extended to three months the shelf life of its near-expiry vaccine doses, but are subject to the approval of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
[It’s good news that the shelf life of vaccines that are about to expire has been extended. AstraZeneca agreed to this but we are just waiting for the FDA to approve the extension by three months.]
However, he pointed out that AstraZeneca vaccine doses that are about to expire will remain in the Philippines and will no longer be donated should the FDA approve the extension of their shelf life.
Not only are there excess vaccines but there are also billions in excess funds not used during the pandemic.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1566070/billions-in-bayanihan-2-loan-funds-still-unused |
A total of P4.99 billion — or more than half of the funds allocated for loan distribution to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, or Bayanihan 2 — was unused as of mid-2021 and could have been used for pandemic response, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).
In a March 2 report, state auditors said the Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.), a state-run company under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises (CARES) Program, had been allocated P9.08 billion to be distributed as collateral-free, zero-interest loans to MSMEs.
But the COA said SB Corp. released only P4.09 billion, or 45.04 percent of the P9.08 billion, as of June 30, 2021, the end of its audit period.
“Considering the need for immediate action and limited resources in government in general, these unutilized funds could have been used to fund other emergency measures to address the effects of the pandemic,” the COA said.
The COA cited two major reasons why nearly 55 percent of the allocated amount was unused. One was the “insufficiency” in SB Corp.’s human resources and the other was the “hesitancy of potential clients” to avail of the financial assistance.
Of the 995,745 potential clients of the state corporation, the COA said only 48,010, or 4.82 percent, applied.
“The bulk of the budget is allocated for the tourism industry. Many tourism-based companies are hesitant to restart their business due to the multiple imposition of enhanced community quarantine in the country,” the COA said.
The agency also found that out of the 48,010 loan applicants, 4,378, or 9.12 percent, canceled their applications.
The COA said some of the borrowers canceled their loan applications due to the “long processing time” and lack of updates on their applications.
The reason the funds were not distributed is because there was not enough manpower and potential clients were hesitant to apply and restart their business due to the quarantines. This information shows just how damaging the quarantines were to the economy. There was also a long processing time which means lots of red tape.
The government is now considering dropping to alert level 0 but for that to happen certain conditions must be met.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1567055/covid-19-must-be-declared-endemic-to-shift-to-alert-0 |
COVID-19 must be declared as endemic, or treated like an ordinary illness, for alert level zero to be imposed in the country, according to Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.
The government’s pandemic managers are studying the metrics for a possible alert level zero amid a continuing decline in coronavirus infections in the country.
“One important thing that has to happen is COVID-19 must be declared to be endemic. When we say it is endemic, this means this is an ordinary illness that we would deal with in our everyday lives and it will not affect the entire country,” Malaya said at the Laging Handa briefing.
Under alert level zero, the limitations on the entry of unvaccinated people in certain areas would be done away with, he said.
The country must first reach a 90-percent vaccination coverage before the government moves ahead with declaring a possible “alert level zero,” infectious specialist Dr. Rontgene Solante said on Friday.
While the country “may be ready” for an “alert level zero” due to the steady decline of COVID-19 cases and low healthcare utilization rate, he said that the government should “be cautious in interpreting data and should not rush into declaring alert level zero.”
Funny how they were quick to impose lockdowns over a rise in cases but are hesitant to ease up when by all measures the threat is diminishing.
It appears that even if alert level zero were declared face masks would still be required. At least that is what some doctors are recommending.
 |
| https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/03/14/22/masks-a-must-regardless-of-alert-level-status-doctors |
The public should keep wearing face masks regardless of the COVID-19 quarantine alert level classification in the Philippines, a group of doctors said Monday.
Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Maricar Limpin made the statement when asked about her thoughts about the further easing of quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila.
“Actually the Alert Level 1, if we look at it the same, it's almost Alert Level 0, because all the people are already outside. And if we look at it, even in establishments, in malls, there are a lot of people, ”Limpin noted.
“As well as the restaurants, they have already reached, they are not the usual expected 70 percent, more than 70 percent, maybe 80 percent, 90 percent. So, maybe, let's slow down first, then I hope ‘no, alert level 0 doesn't mean the mask will be removed.”
“Because we still need to wear a mask. That is the most important thing for all of us, the persistence of wearing a mask, ”she added.
The doctor stressed that mask-wearing remains imperative as a number of Filipinos remain in the intensive care unit due to COVID-19.
“Definitely we still need to wear a face mask because the virus is still here. We still have people who are having COVID-19. And we also have compatriots who are in the ICU because of COVID-19. ”
"So at that point, it really shows us that we still need to stay and wear a face mask," she stressed.
The virus will always be here. It's not going extinct any time soon. I suppose there will be other benefits from wearing a mask because the air pollution levels especially in Manila are through the roof!
The government has deployed emotional support dogs to pediatric vaccination sites.
 |
| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1169558 |
Service dogs are helping calm anxious children at vaccination sites in Quezon City.
Upon seeing Chichi and Coffee, the children’s faces lit up and giggles were heard all around the North Fairview Elementary School where the rescued local dogs of the Quezon City Veterinary Department were deployed on Thursday.
Parents and guardians were assured both have been examined, groomed, vaccinated, and trained for two months to become emotional support dogs.
The city has also trained 14 others as community service dogs or bomb and drug-sniffers of the Quezon City Police District.
“(After months of training, dogs that were previously roaming the streets and rescued by the Quezon City Veterinary Department are now helping the Quezon City government in the children’s vaccination),” the QC government said in a statement on Friday.
Other rescued dogs are being trained to accompany residents in institutions for the aged, rehabilitation centers, and temporary shelters.
It's good that stray dogs are being repurposed.
The pandemic has affected everyone not because it was "deadly" but because everything was shut down. One group who was disproportionately affected is pregnant women.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1567779/pandemics-untold-toll-on-pregnant-women-hardest-yet |
In an online briefing recently, Zenaida Recidoro, an official of the Department of Health (DOH), said that pregnant women faced many challenges due to the pandemic, with quarantine restrictions affecting the delivery and utilization of maternal care services in 2020 and 2021.
“You couldn’t go out and there was no public transport, so that made a great impact on the utilization of services,” said Recidoro of the DOH’s adolescent and maternal health division.
“There were many questions [to the DOH] about how they would get to a health facility for prenatal care. And these were coming from women even from the provinces,” she added.
She also reported a decrease in facility-based birthing or those who give birth in hospitals and primary care centers such as birthing homes, rural health units, and lying-in clinics.
Pregnancy complications and maternal deaths are usually due to birthing outside health centers. The World Health Organization defines maternal death as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy… from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.”
“Of course, mothers shouldn’t be dying. That is why our objective is to increase antenatal care coverage, increase facility-based delivery, and we have to increase postnatal coverage. We’re also hoping that we’ll be able to reduce unmet needs for family planning,” Recidoro said.
Gee, maybe the government should not have shut down society for as long as they did. I mean who could have foreseen the consequences?
No comments:
Post a Comment