Coronavirus Lockdown: Road Map, Not Worrisome, and More!

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

The face mask mandate is set to end along with Duterte's term on June 30th. That's likely not going to happen.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/835807/duque-recommends-extension-of-mandatory-mask-mandate/story/

Outgoing Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said he would recommend the extension of the mandatory face mask mandate as the country records a notable increase in COVID-19 cases.

"Well, kung ako tatanungin mo [if you ask me], I will recommend that it should be extended because there's already an increasing number of cases," Duque said in an interview on CNN Philippines.

Duque said aside from COVID-19, face masks can help prevent other illnesses such as influenza, bacterial pneumonia, monkeypox, and asthma.

(So we should continue wearing face masks for their added values. It's not just only against COVID-19 but also against influenza, bacterial pneumonia, and others.)

Despite the increase in COVID-19 cases in the past few days, the country remains at low-risk classification with an average daily attack rate of less than 1 per 100,000 population, the Department of Health earlier said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has said that the mandatory wearing of face masks will not be lifted until the end of his term on June 30.

Meanwhile, Duque, in the same interview, said he is hoping that the next administration will be more open to a policy mandating COVID-19 vaccination but with exceptions.

"Ang problema natin talaga is wala tayong [The problem is we don't have a] vaccine mandate. I broached that idea but that was thumbed down by Congress," Duque said.

"So we'll see if next Congress might be more receptive to a possible policy… mandating vaccination but with clear exceptions. Hindi naman lahat talaga pwedeng bakunahan [not all people could be vaccinated]," he added

Face masks were originally meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 but now the government wants to expand that coverage. Wear a face mask because it prevents the spread of viruses in general. Note also that Duque is hoping the next Congress passes a vaccine mandate, with exceptions of course. Never mind the fact that such a mandate would be unconstitutional.

The face mask stand off between the DILG and Cebu Province has come to an end. Cebu won.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/06/26/dilg-blinks-yields-to-cebu-policy-vs-mandatory-use-of-face-masks-in-public-places/

After several days of “word war” over the mandatory use of face masks, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año and Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia have already settled their differences on the enforcement of the policy.

With the issue settled, Año will no longer stop the provincial government from implementing the optional face mask rule in open spaces and well-ventilated areas according to Provincial Board Member John Ismael Borgonia.

This was the first conversation of the two officials through a telephone call following the issuance of the controversial ordinance.

“(He had already accepted the validity of our ordinance and there will no longer be show cause orders and the directive compelling the police to arrest those who do not wear face masks in the province even if they are outdoors or spacious locations),’’ Borgonia said.

Borgonia added that Año will no longer question the legality of Cebu’s ordinances, adding that the DILG chief did not share his reason for changing his position on the face mask policy controversy.

Garcia welcomed the decision of the DILG chief and even invited him to attend the oath taking ceremony of winning One Cebu poll candidates on June 28.

“As far as I know, walang hinihiling o ipinakiusap ang (did not ask for concessions or request) DILG secretary in return, requests or whatever na baguhin sa ordinansa (to change the ordinance),” Borgonia said.

That's great news for local autonomy. Will any other provinces or LGUs follow suit?

The DOH says cases are up! 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/27/22/covid-19-cases-up-by-53-pct-health-dept

The Philippines' COVID-19 cases rose by more than half in the last 7 days, while the number of patients with serious conditions also increased, the Department of Health said Monday.

From June 20 to 26, the country recorded 4,634 new COVID-19 cases or an average of 662 per day, the DOH said in its latest bulletin. The agency said this was 53 percent higher than the 3,051 infections logged from June 13 to 19. 

Out of the latest weekly tally of infections, 14 were severe and critical.

As of Sunday, a total of 591 or 10.7 percent of COVID-19 patients in hospitals were in severe and critical condition. The figure is higher than the previous week's 554 severe and critical patients, who comprised 10.2 percent of COVID-19 hospital admissions at the time.

Some 391 or 14.9 percent of 2,628 intensive care unit (ICU) beds for COVID-19 patients were occupied as of Sunday, according to the DOH.

Infections are going up but only 14.9% of those cases are occupying ICU beds. And are those people vaccinated, unvaccinated, with co-morbidities? What age group are they in? Without that information these numbers really mean nothing. But rest assured they will beat us over the head with them.

If you want to know where you are going you will probably need a map.  Thank goodness the experts have created a COVID map for the Philippines. Let's see, over there is the Wuahn lab and over here is Manila and...how do we get out of this mess??

https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/06/27/news/experts-help-create-covid-19-road-map/1848852

PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd and a group of experts have analyzed the continued wearing of masks, hospitalization as a gauge for determining alert levels, and vaccination policies in assembling a road map for the country's post-Covid pandemic recovery.

Concepcion, who was joined by the Advisory Council of Experts (ACE) — composed of some of the country's foremost authorities on medicine, public health, economics, and research and data analytics — said the aim was to come up with guidelines for the private sector regarding matters of public health and the economy. "The country is faced with urgent problems on the economic front, but the fact is, Covid is still very much around," he said. "We need to find ways so that we save our livelihoods without unnecessarily losing our hard-won victories against the virus." The Philippines has recorded 3,700,000 Covid cases since the pandemic started in 2020. About 60,500 deaths have been attributed to the disease.

The ACE panelists said that while face coverings have been proven to reduce transmission, opinions clashed on whether it is time for the country to relax the mask mandate, especially in outdoor settings.

"It was recommended that the most prudent way forward is to keep wearing face masks for now," Concepcion said, stressing that the country has managed to keep critical indicators low because Filipinos have generally accepted the wearing of masks.

It was agreed, however, that the issue over mask wearing will be reviewed as the situation changes.

There is also the consensus that the government must at some point shift the responsibility of vaccinating the population to pharmaceutical companies, and that there should be a deadline to make the shift, preferably within the first 100 days of the Marcos administration.

The experts also agreed that hospitalization rates be made the primary criteria for setting alert levels. The metric was considered more accurate than the number of infections, and it also factors in how mobility restrictions affect the economy.

What kind of road map is this? Wear face masks and we will check on it later? Alert levels should be based on hospitalizations? But those who are hospitalized are old, infirm, or have comorbidities! The hospitalization rate does not reflect the population most of whom have recovered from COVID. This is a road map to disaster. 

If you live in an area under alert level 2 you will need to either get vaccinated or regularly take a swab test. So decrees the government. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1618012/govt-now-requires-unvaxxed-workers-in-alert-level-2-areas-to-get-tested-twice-monthly

Onsite employees in the public and private sector in areas under Alert Level 2 and higher who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 will have to undergo RT-PCR tests once every two weeks or antigen tests weekly, Malacañang announced Tuesday.

This came as a result of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF) decision to update the testing requirements for unvaccinated employees.

Acting presidential spokesperson and Palace Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said all establishments in areas where there is sufficient COVID-19 vaccine supply must require their employees, who are tasked to do on-site work, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Those who are unvaccinated, however, must undergo RT-PCR tests once every two weeks or antigen tests weekly.

This is not law. It was not debated up on by the legislature and signed by the President. This is a decree by the IATF and it is only because the state of emergency is in place that this nonsense is allowed to happen. At least the IATF threw the public a bone and redetermined the criteria for alert levels.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1618001/iatf-will-no-longer-factor-in-covid-growth-rate-in-determining-alert-levels-risk-classification

The government’s pandemic policy-making body will no longer take into account the COVID-19 two-week growth rate in determining the alert level and risk classification of an area, Malacañang said Tuesday.

This as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the recommendations of the sub-Technical Working Group for Data Analytics the new matrices to be used for the alert level system, acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said in a statement.

The new matrices removed the COVID-19 two-week growth rate in determining case risk classification. It will now be based on average daily attack rates and its current thresholds.

Meanwhile, the total hospital bed utilization rate and its  current thresholds will be retained as the main metric for health system capacity, Andanar said.

With the new matrices, the assignment of alert levels will be based on the revised cross tabulation of total beds utilization rate and average daily attack rate, Andanar said.

The previous criteria for the alert level system considered the two-week growth rate, the average daily attack rate, and the hospital utilization rate in determining the case risk classification of an area.

This decree conflicts with the road map given above which said hospitalizations should be the metric for determining alert levels. These people are not even on the same page!

Now for some advice from a rival body of the IATF.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177723

National Capital Region (NCR)’s Covid-19 cases may increase up to 500 this week but there is no need to panic.

Dr. Guido David, OCTA Research fellow, said Tuesday the rise cannot be considered a surge yet.

“(The Covid-19 cases are increasing in NCR, with a 52 percent one-week growth rate. Our seven-day average is 342. We expect the cases to rise), may be between 400 to 500 this week,” David said during the Laging Handa public briefing.

A total of 434 new cases were recorded in the NCR on Monday while the positivity rate climbed to 5.9 percent on June 25 from 3.9 percent on June 18.

“(But this is not worrisome. It's much lower compared to those recorded in previous surges),” he said.

David reminded adherence to minimum health protocols, especially wearing of masks, and the need to complete the primary Covid-19 series and booster shots.

I bet no one is worrying except these worrywarts and fear mongers. The only thing anyone should be worried about is the government shutting down everything at the drop of a hat. 

Across the country new LGU officials are being sworn into office. One mayor says she wants to help people's mental health recover from the effects of the pandemic. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177738

Newly-elected Mayor Mary Clare Judith Phyllis “Niña” Jose-Quiambao has vowed to also put a focus on the mental health of his constituents amid the effects of the pandemic.

 

In her speech during her inauguration on Tuesday here, Quiambao said she is alarmed at the rise in suicide cases in this town hence, her plan to address mental health concerns.

 

“We cannot and must not ignore the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on our mental health. And as an elected official, I want you to feel the love and care of a mother. I want you to feel that you are not alone,” she said in addressing her constituents.

 

Quiambao said a 24/7 hotline and Facebook page catering to those who are in need of help in battling mental health problems will soon be launched.

It's true the suicide rate is up and it is directly related to the pandemic. Not because of the virus itself but because of the unnecessary restrictions the government has imposed and continues to impose on the public. Now put on the face mask and keep 6 feet away from your loved ones and everyone else.