Thursday, May 5, 2022

Coronavirus Lockdown: Refuse Vaccines and You Will Surely Die, First Omicron Case Was Fully Vaxxed, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government. 

Could it be that a spike in COVID-19 cases in South Africa would mean a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines? Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. thinks so.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1588580/galvez-warns-ph-could-see-spike-in-covid-19-cases-just-like-south-africa

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. has warned the public and national officials that the Philippines could see a rise in COVID-19 cases between the next two weeks to a month, just as South Africa is also seeing a rise in its COVID-19 cases at present.

Galvez told President Rodrigo Duterte during the latter’s Talk to the People briefing aired Wednesday morning that South Africa’s COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant were on an uptick a few days ago.

He cited a graph showing that when Omicron cases started to rise in South Africa last November 2021, the Philippines saw its own infection rates spike by late December to January — or around a month after South Africa.

Galvez said such trends could be repeated.

“Based on this graph, the new South African variants are making an uptick, and it’s a matter of time that the Philippines will follow, maybe two weeks or a month from now, as predicted by experts,” Galvez told Duterte.

The views that a surge may happen in the country are shared by OCTA Research’s Fr. Nicanor Austriaco and the Department of Health (DOH) itself.

Galvez said that Austriaco believes the next COVID-19 surge may originate from one of the sub-variants of the Omicron variant — the BA.4 or the BA.5, considering that the last surge in January was due to the BA.2 sub-variant.

Duterte urged Filipinos to listen to science and refrain from making judgments based on little knowledge.

So correlation equals causation in some inexplicable way. The new Omicorn variant is now in the Philippines courtesy of a fully vaccinated traveller from Finland.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1588876/doh-phs-first-omicron-subvariant-case-a-fully-vaxxed-asymptomatic-person

The country’s first BA.2.12 Omicron subvariant case was a fully vaccinated woman who did not undergo quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines because she initially did not show symptoms, the Department of Health (DOH) disclosed Wednesday.

The health agency said in a statement that the BA.2.12 Omicron subvariant was detected in a 52-year-old Finnish female who arrived from Finland on April 2.

“The case was not required to undergo routine isolation at a quarantine facility since she was fully vaccinated and arrived asymptomatic,” according to the DOH.

The woman traveled to a university in Quezon City and Baguio to conduct seminars, the DOH also said.

“Nine days after her arrival in the country, she experienced mild symptoms such as headache and sore throat. She then tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 via Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction the next day,” it added.

The DOH further said that the local epidemiology and surveillance unit conducted contact tracing upon detection of the confirmed BA.2.12 Omicron subvariant case. “Nine asymptomatic close contacts were identified. Two of them were tested and found to be negative,” it noted.

The woman has finished her seven-day isolation, has recovered, and was already discharged, according to the DOH, adding that the woman returned to Finland on April 21.

How many more times does it have to be said that vaccines don't prevent infection? This lady is a living testimony. According to the DOH this lady had 44 close contacts while in the Philippines all of whom are being monitored. Because of this lady the government is being urged to once more have all arriving passengers isolate for 7 days upon arrival.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1589685/govt-urged-to-again-isolate-new-arrivals

The government should bring back mandatory quarantine for travelers arriving in the country to ensure proper surveillance, the head of a medical organization said on Thursday.

“Let’s implement the quarantine [measures] so that exposure [among travelers] would be limited,” Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, said in a radio interview.

She said the Finnish visitor recently confirmed as the first case of Omicron sublineage BA.2.12 in the country showed symptoms on the ninth day, within the 10-day incubation period when the virus in a person is most contagious.

Fully vaccinated foreign tourists and travelers from visa-free countries were allowed to enter the country without having to undergo quarantine starting Feb. 10 this year.

The travelers, however, are still required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours or a negative antigen test done within 24 hours from departure from their country of origin.

Before the restrictions were eased, arriving foreign travelers had to undergo facility-based quarantine and retake a swab test on the fifth day. And even with a negative result, they must still undergo home quarantine for 14 days from the date of arrival.

Yeah, let's bring back mandatory quarantines for all arriving passengers. That won't negatively effect the tourism sector which is slowly reviving. 

After scaring the public about a surge in cases the DOH says they don't forsee any lockdowns after the election which is being painted as a possible super spreader event.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/04/30/2177846/doh-not-expecting-lockdown-after-may-9-elections

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Saturday that they do not foresee a lockdown after the national and local elections on May 9. 

("No. Right now, there is no indication that we will have a lockdown. If ever we have a lockdown, it will be granular— which will cover streets or buildings.)

He explained they do not expect a widespread lockdown after the elections, citing that many Filipinos were already vaccinated against COVID-19 and are receiving booster doses which strengthen their immunity against the virus. 

DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje echoed Duque's statements during a Laging Handa briefing, saying that granular lockdowns may be placed if there will be a surge after the elections.

(The increase in COVID-19 cases is not significant, although we should not be putting our guards down. We continue to monitor the cases.")

If they don't expect a lockdown then that means they don't expect a surge. 

Duterte is urging everyone get a booster shot before the election.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1591458/duterte-urges-public-to-get-covid-19-booster-shots-ahead-of-may-9-polls

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday urged the public to get their COVID-19 booster shots ahead of the elections on May 9.

This is to protect them when they cast their vote, saying crowding and congregating is expected during election time.

“‘Yung booster shots ninyo, it’s still available and anybody can have it because it’s election time. There will be crowding again and congregating so it’s good to have your booster before you go out to the crowd,” he said in his taped public address.

Duterte also urged the public not to be complacent against COVID-19 to avoid another surge of infections.

“Complacency is really the enemy of preventing again and allowing the COVID-19 to come back. Sabagay, this would not be as serios as before, kasi bakunado tayo,” he said.

Remember, refusal to be vaccinated means death.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1591583/fwd-duterte-reiterates-refuse-vaccines-you-will-surely-die

President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated that an individual who will refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will die due to the infection.

During his taped address to the nation aired Tuesday, Duterte said that those who are hesitant for an anti-COVID shot may find their names on the Civil Registrar and be labeled dead.

(If you don’t want to get vaccinated and you still want to mix with humanity, especially during elections or rallies wherein it is crowded, if you do not want until now, it’s okay. But your name will be in the Civil Registrar and with Secretary Año.)

(You know why? Those of you who are unvaccinated, you will all surely die… What I’m saying is that your name will be on the Civil Registrar and Secretary Duque, it’s because the Civil Registrar lists three things: when you were born, when you were married, and when you die.)

Vaccinated or not death is inevitable for everyone.

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