More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
There are new COVID variants going about but the DOH says to forget about them and focus on real diseases!
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1943545/fwd-herbosa-on-covid-19 |
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Wednesday said it is better to focus on preventable, “killer” ailments such as heart attack, diabetes and cancer rather than COVID-19.
(I will scare you with what you should be scared of. Filipinos die from heart attack and stroke, cancer, diabetes — that is what you should write about.)
Herbosa said that it was important for people to learn how to prevent heart attacks and strokes, control hypertension and diabetes, among others.
According to Herbosa, these are preventable diseases, but are still the leading causes of death in the Philippines.
COVID-19, however, is similar to the common cold, said Herbosa.
“For the young and healthy, there is nothing to fear – you just self-isolate; take vitamins, paracetamol and you should recover. At risk are the people who are elderly, with cancer, with immunocompromised,” Herbosa added.
COVID-19 is like the cold!!! What!? That is what many people having been saying for the past four years!
Cases are increasing in Singapore but the DOH says border controls and mandatory masks are not required.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/22/no-border-control-mandatory-masks-doh-chief-says-amid-rise-in-covid-19-cases-in-singapore |
The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday, May 22, said that there is no need to control the country's borders or implement mandatory mask-wearing despite the rise of Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
At a Palace press briefing, DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa underscored that the department is monitoring Influenza-like Illnesses (ILI), with Covid-19 being one of those.
"Luckily, even the cases in Singapore are mostly respiratory droplet infections, common cold-like, so I'm not thinking border control, mandatory masks, I'm not thinking of that," Herbosa said in a mix of English and Filipino.
However, Herbosa advised the public to follow minimum health standards.
"If you are sick, experiencing cough, colds, or a sore throat, it's better to stay home. If you need to go out, wear a mask. So it's still a personal (responsibility)," he said.
Meanwhile, the secretary answered the question circulating that the public should be vaccinated again due to the Ministry of Health of Singapore suggesting there might be a waning effect of immunity,
"That should be a personal discussion between the physician and you, the one with the request for a vaccination," said Herbosa "because I think the ones that need the vaccination are only the high-risk people."
He then emphasized that there are 78 million people that were vaccinated with boosters and "I think they still have some level of immunity."
"So, no requirement for border control, no requirement for mandatory mask, no requirement for additional vaccination," Herbosa said.
"But we're monitoring the cases," he added.
A waning effect of immunity? So the current vaccines are worthless.
Nevertheless says high-risk groups should take precaution.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1944270/high-risk-groups-warned-vs-new-covid-variants |
Despite an assurance from the Department of Health (DOH) that all regions nationwide remain at low risk for COVID-19 amid the appearance of new variants, an infectious disease expert on Thursday urged vulnerable populations, especially the elderly and immunocompromised, to take precautions to reduce their risk of contracting severe COVID-19.
But Dr. Rontgene Solante, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, the umbrella organization of internists in the country, said the public should not be alarmed over the recent rise in cases.
According to him, the cases due to the new “FLiRT” variants in other countries were not as bad as those traced to the Alpha and Delta variants in 2020 and 2021. FLiRT refers to a whole family of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which have picked up the same set of mutations. There are three new variants under monitoring by the World Health Organization (WHO) named JN.1.18, KP.2 and KP.3. All three are descendants of JN.1, an offshoot of the Omicron variant.
Quoting the WHO, the DOH said there was no evidence for now that the KP.2 and KP.3 variants were causing severe to critical cases in the country or abroad. While the new variants cause “self-limiting and mild” symptoms where patients in general will recover without taking any medicine, Filipinos should take precautions as these mild symptoms may become severe in senior citizens and the immunocompromised.
“There is a tendency that these vulnerable populations may get severe COVID-19. And that’s what we are experiencing in hospitals right now. They have a very weak immune response that their bodies cannot fight off these low-risk types of variants,” Solante said
He explained that the previous COVID-19 vaccines given to Filipinos—generally two doses and a single-shot booster—were not as effective against the new strains, including the FLiRT variant.
“It is just unfortunate that because of the mutations, we are no longer protected against these new variants from the previous COVID-19 shots we received. In fact, there are reformulated and updated vaccines available in the market abroad already, but these are not currently available in the Philippines,” Solante said.
As a precaution, he urged the public, especially the elderly, to consult a doctor if their symptoms do not subside in a few days.
“They have to be immediately checked if they will need treatment or be admitted. Because in our current experience, those who are usually admitted to the hospitals were already late. They already had a fever for a few days and developed complications, including pneumonia,” Solante said.
He also echoed the call of the DOH for people to properly wear face masks, especially when they go to public or enclosed spaces with a large crowd.
WOW! The DOH has admitted Filipinos are not protected against the new variants. That is really shocking. But they also say the new wave of spikes are ordinary.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/05/24/2357535/new-wave-covid-19-cases-just-ordinary-spike |
There is no need to panic over the new wave of COVID-19 infection as this is just a normal increase in cases, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said yesterday.
“It will not continue to spread. The uptick (in cases) will just be temporary,” Solante said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program.
Three new COVID-19 variants – JN.1.18, KP.2 and KP.3 – are now under monitoring by the World Health Organization. KP.2 and KP.3 are known as the “FLiRT” variants.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier said “there is no evidence now that the KP.2 and KP.3 variants are causing severe to critical COVID-19, both locally and internationally.”
“These are variants that mutated through several months and that so far, this has slow public health risk unlike the Delta and Alpha (variants) which carried higher risk of severe infection or getting hospitalized,” Solante added.
He still advised the public to be vigilant and protect themselves against the virus.
It won't continue to spread? Then there is nothing to worry or warn about!
But maybe there is something to warn about as the DOH Secretary has directed the Bureau of Quarantine "conduct thorough screening at points of entry for arriving visitors coming from countries where the new COVID-19 “FLiRT” variants have been detected."
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/908086/boq-on-heightened-alert-vs-flirt-covid-19-variants/story/ |
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has directed the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to conduct thorough screening at points of entry for arriving visitors coming from countries where the new COVID-19 “FLiRT” variants have been detected.
Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo confirmed on Monday the BOQ’s Memorandum No. 2024-48 dated May 24, which placed all BOQ stations and other concerned agencies under “heightened alert” for the FLiRT variants.
“The BOQ, as directed by Secretary Herbosa, is conducting thorough screening for symptoms of COVID-19, among others,” Domingo told reporters.
The KP.2 and KP.3, more commonly known as “FLiRT,” are currently circulating COVID-19 variants under monitoring by the World Health Organization (WHO). They are descendants of the JN.1—a variant of interest—which was responsible for the infection increase earlier this year.
The BOQ, a line bureau of the DOH, thus reminded travelers to complete the health questionnaire available on the e-travel app. Those who have COVID-19 signs and symptoms were also advised to go on home isolation.
“The general public should take basic health measures such as frequent hand washing, coughing etiquette, avoiding crowded situations and getting in contact with people with flu-like symptoms,” the memorandum read.
According to the DOH, all regions in the country remain at low risk for COVID-19, despite a “small” increase in cases recently observed and new variants being monitored internationally.
Despite this order the DOH is quick to say the country remains "at low risk for COVID-19."
But even if the new variant posed any health threat there are currently no funds to procure new vaccines. The Philippines is now relying on the kindness of strangers.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1945940/doh-no-budget-for-new-vaccines-vs-flirt-variant |
The government has zero budget set aside this year to procure updated doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to protect vulnerable Filipinos from the new “Flirt” variants driving a wave of infections around the world, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The jabs are seen as crucial to the safety and protection of the elderly as well as people with compromised immune systems from the fast-spreading Flirt variants, which, while not considered deadly, are sparking concerns of a COVID-19 resurgence four years since the advent of the pandemic.
The DOH spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo, said the public’s immunity from the virus due to the original primary series of COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots administered from 2021 to 2023 had waned over time, although “not totally lost.”
“There may be some degree of residual immunity left, which is still better than having not been vaccinated at all,” Domingo said in a message to the Inquirer.
But the DOH has no budget under the 2024 appropriations law to acquire updated COVID-19 vaccines considered more effective against the Flirt variants, the official said, noting that the department’s current funding was focused on procuring doses for the routine immunization of children.
“Budget allocations for COVID-19 vaccination are made based on an assessment of public health needs. In situations where the case severity is low or mild only, there may not be an urgent need to budget and procure as before,” Domingo explained.
For COVID-19 doses, the DOH is relying on donations, including a million doses pledged by Gavi Vaccine Alliance, a global health partnership formed in 2000 to provide equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
The first tranche of 500,000 jabs is set to arrive in the second quarter.
“The DOH is processing this to obtain the best/most updated COVID-19 vaccines given the circumstances,” Domingo said.
According to the DOH, it is the duty of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “to encourage and accept applications for registration of the newer COVID-19 vaccines so that they may be made available in the local market.”
The emergency use authorizations issued by the FDA to nine COVID-19 vaccines administered in past years are set to lapse in July, a year after President Marcos lifted the state of public health emergency in the country due to COVID-19 on July 23, 2023.
This means that COVID-19 vaccines without a certificate of product registration (CPR) from the FDA could no longer be administered or sold in the country.
What residual immunity? None of the vaccines actually prevented COVID-19 infection.
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