More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
In this series of article about the pandemic I have noted the return of many town festivals. VP Sara Duterte says this means post-pandemic recovery is on track
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1760978/sara-duterte-is-confident-phs-post-pandemic-recovery-on-track-amid-town-festivals |
Vice President Sara Duterte is confident in the Philippines’ post-pandemic recovery and cites the nationwide fiestas as evidence.
Duterte participated in the Pasalamat Festival in La Carlota City and the 64th Founding Anniversary and 23rd Pagbana-ag Festival of Hinoba-an town in Negros Occidental on April 24. She praised the Pasalamat Festival for showcasing La Carlota City’s resilience and unity.
La Carlota City is an important center for tourism, Duterte said, adding that its vast sugarcane farms have made significant progress in supporting sustainable agriculture and crop diversification.
She also stressed the importance of creating jobs and businesses to uplift people’s lives.
“I enjoin our local government leaders, private sector partners and civil society groups to work with us in creating decent jobs and sustainable livelihood opportunities that bring meaningful change in the lives of Filipinos,” she said.
She called on the public to ensure their children are studying, saying that education is the greatest equalizer.
But perhaps all is not as it seems because cases are rising. In Caraga 59 active cases have been recorded among the vaccinated.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1200018 |
At least 70 unvaccinated individuals comprise the 129 remaining active coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the Caraga Region, the Department of Health in the area (DOH-13) reported Monday.“Of the remaining active cases in the region, 53 are considered asymptomatic, 70 are with moderate symptoms, and six are with severe symptoms,” DOH-13 said.The report indicated that 58 of the active cases are individuals who are fully vaccinated, while one is fully vaccinated with a dose of booster shot.
One of the 59 vaccinated even had a booster shot! That is the real news here. More confirmation that the vaccine and boosters do not prevent infection.
Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion says it's time to get rid of the COVID-19 alert system because Filipinos have learned to live with the virus.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/04/27/2261906/concepcion-no-need-covid-19-alert-level-system |
There is no more need for an alert level system in the country as Filipinos have learned to live with COVID, according to Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion.
“The question we should be asking is why are we still implementing this alert level system when we are no longer under a state of public health emergency?” Concepcion said in a statement yesterday.
At the height of the pandemic, the Go Negosyo founder led private sector efforts in purchasing vaccines and actively pushed for the gradual reopening of the economy.
“We don’t have alert level systems when there are a lot of dengue cases. We warn the public and increase awareness so that they will be more careful,” Concepcion said.
He said the country could not afford to implement lockdowns or see a loss of consumer confidence.
“We need more mobility and spending if we want to see our GDP (gross domestic product) move higher. We have to remember that it is the economy that is at a higher risk now,” he said.
Concepcion said there is little evidence that the currently circulating variant is a cause for concern.
“This is still the COVID variant that is mild, even the doctors are saying that,” he said, adding most experts do not see the health care system under threat.
Hospital capacity was among the considerations in the imposition of mobility restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.
“At this point, Filipinos know what to do. They are aware of the risks but are willing to take them because they are capable of managing them. Filipinos, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, know when situations are risky and they mask up,” Concepcion said.
But how does getting rid of the alert system help those in power stay entrenched in power?
Makati City is on the way to full recovery says Mayor Abby.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/27/makati-reaches-72-percent-of-revenue-target-reports-increase-in-collections-mayor-abby |
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay announced on Thursday, April 27, that the local government is on its way to full recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic as it hit 72 percent of its revenue target owing to an increase in tax and other revenue source collections during the first quarter of the year.
“By all indications, Makati is well on its way to full recovery from the pandemic. Once again, we are seeing double-digit growth in our total revenue collection as brisk business in the city attracts more new investors while driving current businesses to expand,” Binay said.
As of the end of March, the Office of the City Treasurer (OCT) has collected a total of P12,925,503,905.76, which is 72 percent of the full-year revenue target of P17.84 billion. This is an 18 percent increase compared to collections in January to March in 2022.
Based on the report of City Treasurer Jesusa Cuneta, the city garnered a total of P7.07 billion (71 percent) out of the P9.90 billion target in business tax collections. This is a 33 percent increase compared to the P5.27 billion collected in March 2022.
“We are heartened by the remarkable results of reforms and innovations we have done to make our systems and processes more efficient, transparent, and sustainable. We thank the business community, property owners, and all Makatizens for supporting our initiatives and putting their trust in the city leadership,” Binay said.
So the collection of taxes proves everything is back on track? There is much more to recovery than money. How about the state of mental health amongst residents? How about the state of education?
The public in Negros Oriental is being urged to wear face masks once more as COVID-19 cases rise.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1200270 |
The Provincial Health Office in Negros Oriental is asking the public to continue wearing face masks and observe minimum protocols as coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases rose significantly this week, an official said Thursday.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said that as of April 26, Negros Oriental logged 49 active cases.
“Last week and in the previous weeks, active infections were reported in single digits, sometimes as low as three or five cases, but now the number has gone up,” Estacion said.
One new death, a 73-year-old female from Bais City, was also reported. The fatality, who had comorbidities, died last week. She did not receive any booster shots, Estacion said.The health official also appealed to the public to abide by the minimum health protocols, especially now that the province is under Alert Level 2, except for six towns and cities.This is due to a low 58 percent vaccination rate among the province’s total target population of 1,148,424.Those under Alert Level 1 are this provincial capital city and the towns of Amlan, Bacong, Dauin, Valencia and Zamboanguita, for having acquired a high vaccination rate.
Meanwhile Iloilo and Bacolod City have reintroduced mandatory face masks inside PUVs. Iloilo has also imposed mandatory face masks in establishments.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/868362/mandatory-face-mask-use-back-in-iloilo-bacolod-cities/story/ |
Iloilo and Bacolod cities have once again implemented the mandatory wearing of face mask in several areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Unang Balita reported on Friday.
In Iloilo City, face mask use is mandatory inside establishments and public utility vehicles (PUVs), while in Bacolod City it is implemented only inside PUVs.
The mandatory face mask use was ordered by the two cities' respective local governments.
The national government, meanwhile, is not keen on coming up with the same order, but the Department of Health (DOH) is urging the public to assess for themselves when and where they should put their face mask on.
The mandatory use of face mask, however, is still strictly enforced in all trains of the Light Rail Transit (LRT), Metro Rail Transit (MRT), and Philippine National Railways (PNR), according to the Department of Transportation.
President Marcos has said the government is considering reimposing useless face mask mandates nationwide because of rising COVID-19 cases.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1763195/marcos-says-govt-might-require-use-of-face-mask-again-amid-rising-covid-19-cases |
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Sunday (US time) said the government might bring back the mandatory use of face masks in the Philippines amid the recent rise in COVID-19 cases.
Marcos said his administration is studying the current trends of COVID-19, particularly looking at the rate of increase of the occurrence and its baseline, among other factors.
“We’ll look at it. Tingnan natin kung may guidance ang IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force), may guidance and DOH (Department of Health). I hope we don’t have to, but we might. But I hope not,” he said in an interview with reporters en route to Washington.
(We’ll see if the IAFT and the DOH will have guidance.)
“Ako ang tinitingnan ko is although ‘yung rate of increase lumalaki, ang baseline natin na sinimulan eh maliit lang so hopefully we’re still going to be able to do it,” Marcos added.
(What I’m looking at is although the rate of increase is rising, the baseline of it is only small so hopefully we’re still going to be able to do it.)
The President said the government is also putting into consideration how the summer heat affects the health of the public, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19.
This, he said, may prompt the government to conduct a vaccination drive among the public to boost their immunity against the severe respiratory illness.
“Looks like we will have to conduct again, especially for the young people, a vaccination push para mabawasan na ‘yan, especially with people na nahihirapan na nga eh dahil sa init, humihina ang katawan and that will make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 again,” Marcos said.
(People’s health may decline due to the heat and that will make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 again.)
The government also says they are going to began pushing vaccination drives anew.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/501820/as-govt-eyes-reviving-face-mask-rule-covid-vax-drive-needs-more-push |
If they really hoped to learn from the past then they would not be supporting face mask mandates which have been proven to be harmful.The business community here continues to urge the public to take their booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine as the country saw an increase in the number of new infections, believed to be largely due to a new variant.
The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) made this statement after President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. bared his administration’s plans to reinstate the face mask rule to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
Should the national government proceed with their plans, the CCCI will support it, said its President Charles Kenneth Co.
“The business community will be supportive of a masked mandate to limit the spread of the new variant,” Co told CDN Digital in a text message.
The CCCI official also said they find the mandatory face mask rule a reasonable measure in curbing the spread of COVID-19.
“So far, it doesn’t pose a critical threat to mandate a reduction in operating capacity for public establishment,” added Co.
However, the rise of COVID-19 cases in the country should also prompt the public to take their booster shots, Co said.
“The delayed rollout of the bivalent booster shot is another cause for concern,” he explained.
“We hope we can learn from the past and exhaust all means to have the booster shots as soon as possible especially to our health care professionals and vulnerable population,” he added.
However, the DOH says there is no need to reimpose mask mandates.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1763841/fwd-doh-mandatory-face-masks-still-not-needed |
The Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday that reinstating the face mask mandate was unnecessary, and people should adapt to the virus without fluctuating policies.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday floated the idea that the government might bring back the mandatory face masks following the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, depending on the recommendations of the DOH and Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a press briefing, said the health department and other members of the IATF have already submitted their recommendation not to bring back COVID-19 restrictions, including mandatory face masks.
(We already have recommended to the Office of the President, based on the agreements coming from the IATF discussions, that there is no need to return the mandate, we need to shift the mindset of our countrymen.)
(Cases will increase and decrease in our country because the virus is here, it will not disappear, and the virus will mutate and produce variants every now and then.)
Vergeire explained that what the public needs is for each individual to know how to protect themselves and their family — by choosing to wear a mask when going to high-risk places, especially if they are unvaccinated, immunocompromised, senior citizens, or pregnant.
(Our policies do not need to be back and forth, we all need to help each other to overcome this situation.)
Likely, this is not the last word on the matter.
