More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
What better endorsement for getting the vaccine than having government officials getting jabbed. What better endorsement for rejecting the vaccine when one of those fully vaccinated officials tests positive for the virus.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/11/18/2142135/lorenzana-tests-positive-covid-19-again |
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana yesterday confirmed that he has again tested positive for COVID-19 and will be self-isolating.
“Yes, I am COVID-positive,” he told reporters, declaring that he got the results of his swab test yesterday morning after getting tested on Tuesday afternoon.
“I am asymptomatic,” Lorenzana said, adding that he is fully vaccinated and he will observe himself for several days and get tested again.
The 72-year-old Cabinet secretary tested positive for COVID-19 in April. He was able to recover from the infection, saying he kept himself mentally and physically healthy.
Lacson is proof positive that the vaccines do not protect you from getting infected. Of course COVID-19 is hardly a deadly virus in and of itself. That's how Lorenzana and others, such as Senator Zubiri, have survived more than on infection.
The government of Davao wants citizens to live in fear when bringing their children outside.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1160134 |
With the easing of restrictions for minors in public establishments under Alert Level 2, parents and guardians here were reminded to take extra precautions when bringing their children to crowded places.
In an interview, Angela Brenda Tromis, a mother of three, said she was surprised when she went to a mall here and witnessed parents bringing their children with some of them not even wearing face masks.
“Despite the loosening of restrictions, I would never bring my children in crowded places. I am so afraid of seeing other parents with their babies,” she told Philippine News Agency Thursday.
With the presence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Tromis said everyone should not be complacent, especially children who are vulnerable to the infection since they are unvaccinated.
“We have to be extra careful. Despite the downtrend of cases, we should not be complacent,” she said in the vernacular.
Meanwhile, Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, said that minors, especially those below 11 years old, are at risk of contracting the virus considering that these are the unvaccinated population. In the national government’s vaccination rollout, only minors aged 12 to 17 years old were allowed to be vaccinated.
“A gentle reminder to our parents to take extra precaution. Although there are no more movement restrictions for minors aged 11 below, they are still vulnerable to infection because they don’t have an extra layer of protection,” Schlosser said in a radio interview Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Sixta Solingan, a guardian of two minors, said there is a need for the city government to impose stricter guidelines as children below 17 years old were going out of their residences.
“I have two grandchildren and they are asking me if they are allowed to go out like other kids. I told them they are not yet allowed. I fear for their safety [from Covid-19] outside,” she told the PNA.
Solingan also urged fellow guardians and parents to be extra careful when bringing their children to crowded places. “It is not safe yet as Covid-19 is still present. They should be at the comfort of their houses,” she said in the vernacular.
These people are living in fear over a virus that has an over 97% survival rate. Children are actually half as likely to get COVID-19 than adults. Why then does the government promote fear mongering among parents?
How's this for fear:
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| https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1460078091389190148 |
Why are there PNP officers with rifles inside an elementary school classroom!?
The nation is breathing a collective sigh of relief because face shields are now voluntary. So, what to do with those useless face shields?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1160210 |
A lawmaker at the House of Representatives on Thursday called on local government units to organize a plastic waste drive to help ensure that used face shields are properly disposed of.
Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles made the call after the government's decision to lift the mandatory use of face shields in areas under Covid-19 Alert Level 1 to 3.
"We have a mounting waste problem that needs intervention both at the local and national level. Kailangang maging organisado ang disposal ng mga face shield upang hindi na dumagdag pa sa problema (We need to make the disposal of face shields more organized so that we could lessen the waste problem),” Nograles said in a statement.
Citing the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Nograles said about 65 million face shields are being used daily in 21.8 million households nationwide.
Nograles urged the DENR to take a more aggressive approach to the disposal of face shields.
“Hindi sapat ang sabihin na itago lang ang mga ito, o gamitin sa ibang bagay. Dapat mas proactive tayo. (It's not enough to say that we should just keep it, or use it for other purposes. We should be more proactive.) We have to provide avenues that the public can access—the onus of disposal, reusing, and recycling should not be placed solely on households,” the lawmaker said.
Nograles suggested to LGUs to explore partnerships with firms that specialize in plastic recycling.
“We have local social enterprises like The Plastic Flamingo (Plaf), for example, which transform plastic waste into sustainable construction materials. This is a good point of convergence for the public and private sector,” Nograles said.
This sounds good but quite frankly there are face shields and face masks strewn all about. And don't get me started on the core message here which is about recycling plastic. No one comes by to collect your separated garbage because, at least where I live, there is no dedicated infrastructure to sustain recycling. These face shields will end up in the garbage. But really no one should be getting of their face shields just yet as the Palace has said private businesses can still require them.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/11/19/2142452/palace-businesses-may-still-require-face-shields-their-premises |
The use of face shields in areas under low alert levels may still be required by commercial establishments within their premises, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said Friday.
This comes just four days after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the task force's recommendation to ease face shield requirements in areas under Alert Levels 3, 2, and 1.
"With regard to the voluntary use of face shields for areas under Alert Level 3 to 1, it is hereby clarified that the same is without prejudice to employers still requiring their use for their employees/workers and/or customers in their respective premises," a resolution from the task force presented by Nograles to media reads.
However, with the so-called clarification in effect, face shields rules in areas under Alert Levels 1-3 now resemble those in areas under Alert Level 4 where local government units and private establishments are given the discretion to mandate their use.
Face shields are still mandatory in areas under Alert Level 5, per a memo issued by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
"We had to clarify with the [task force]...because there are two trains of thought, is [wearing face shields] user discretion or the discretion of the establishment?" Nograles, who said he was recently appointed as pandemic task force spokesman, relayed partially in Filipino.
"When it comes to customers, it is the discretion of the establishment."
Establishments can require face shields so don't toss them. Establishments can also require "no vax card, no entry." One TikTok user was reminded of this when she posted a video shaming SM Mall in Fairview for denying her entry for not being vaccinated.
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| https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2021/11/19/204881/no-vax-no-entry-policy-encouraged-by-govt-tiktok-user-told-calling-out-a-mall/ |
A TikTok user was reminded that the Palace encourages establishments to enforce the “no vaccine no entry” rule after calling out a shopping mall for reportedly refusing those unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Two videos went viral on the mobile video-sharing app on Thursday which showed the user visiting a popular mall in Fairview with a companion.
According to the uploader, they were refused from entering the premises since they are not vaccinated against the viral disease.
“Oh my god, it’s so strict here, guys. You know, ‘if you don’t have a vaccine,’ don’t go into SM Fairview… You can’t go in ‘if you don’t have a vaccine. Their policy is different, ‘no,” the TikTok user was heard saying in the video.
The first part of her video also made its way to r/Philippines, a community within Reddit dedicated to Filipinos and everything about the country.
Majority of those who watched her clip chided her for calling out the commercial establishment for its alleged policy.
“Don't get vaccinated, sister, or find another SM that can [there] be the unvaccinated. I know it’s your right if you don’t want to be vaccinated but please, it’s not like this pandemic will end itself, ”a Reddit user commented in response to the video.
“You have the right not to be vaccinated. And they also have the right not to bring in unvaccinated people, ”a Filipino commented on the original TikTok video.
"Don't wander around if you're not vaccinated," another online user wrote in the video's comments section with a smirking emoji.
We can see from these comments, "Don't wander around if you're not vaccinated," that the Philippine government will have no need to pass a law mandating vaccination. The business sector will take care of that and the citizens will love it.
You've heard of buy one get one free right? How about applying that principle to vaccinations.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/11/04/2138790/navotas-sets-vax-1-take-1-minors-parents |
Despite high vaccination rates in Navotas, the city government has reintroduced its previous tack of giving another COVID-19 jab to companions of vaccinees.
This time, minors aged 12 to 17 and their parents or guardians who have not been inoculated can get their Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines in the “Vax 1, Take 1” program.
They would have to sign up online at covax.navotas.gov.ph and submit pertinent documents like identification cards, birth certificate and medical certificate for minors with medical issues, the city government said yesterday.
Another adult must accompany both the teen and the unvaccinated parent or guardian, it added.
The “Vax 1, Take 1” program began in July, targeting both senior citizens and their adult companions to be inoculated with the single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.
"Vax 1, Take 1" does not really describe what's happening here which is two unvaccinated people are getting vaccinated. Wouldn't they have been vaccinated anyway without this special program?
November 27th could be the day that COVID-19 was finally contained in the Philippines.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1517067/covid-containment-may-be-8-days-away |
The Department of Health (DOH) reported that the COVID-19 positivity rate stood at 3.4 percent on Thursday, the sixth consecutive day of staying within the prescribed level of the World Health Organization.
This means that the country needs to maintain this level for just another eight days to declare that COVID-19 has been contained.
Even if the virus is contained by then they won't be lifting restrictions anytime soon and the nation remains under a state of emergency until September 2022.
The first week of face to face classes has not gone all that well. Students are having problems learning due to the health protocols.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1519146/students-struggle-on-1st-week-of-in-person-classes |
With masks on and physical distancing in place, some students from selected public schools found the first week of limited in-person classes challenging.
Based on the Department of Education’s (DepEd) assessment, 18 out of 56 schools that submitted their weekly report said that learners could not clearly hear what the teachers were saying because of the face mask.
Meanwhile, 17 schools said that students could not clearly see what was written on the board because of physical distancing.
Teachers from some schools also cited the limited time to attend to students’ concerns and multiple attention required to cater to learners both in physical classes and those using modules.
Assistant Education Secretary Malcolm Garma said at a press briefing on Tuesday that in ensuring safe school operations, learners, especially those in Kindergarten, tend to remove their masks after a short period of time while some don’t stay in their seats.
Despite the challenges, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that generally, the teachers, parents, and local governments were happy with the restoration of in-person classes.
The education secretary said that there were some mayors from Metro Manila who were still hesitant about the resumption of limited in-person classes.
What are they hesitant about? The whole world has re-opened classrooms. The Philippines is the last nation on earth to do so. And if they think face masks and those plastic barriers are going to stop the spread of any virus they are stupid.
But don't you dare complain about those stupid health protocols enacted by the government or God just might withdraw his mercy. So says Duterte.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1519163/ph-continues-to-beat-covid-19 |
“We are slowly but surely making progress in our COVID-19 campaign,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in his weekly taped public address that aired late Tuesday night.
“I am very pleased to inform the entire nation that we continue to beat COVID-19, recent statistics affirm this,” he added.
Despite the progress, Duterte urged the public not to let its guard down.
“Thanks to the mercy of God that the cases went down. But we should still follow health protocols being implemented by government if we really want to make headway,” he said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English.
“You have to supplement God’s mercy by complying with to protocols set by the government — because God will be looking at the compliance to protocols set by the government. He might withdraw his mercy and we will be in a pitiable situation,” he added.
In effect Duterte has declared the government to be even more powerful than God who depends on us following health protocols as a determinant factor in his mercy. Of course the real reason there have not been a significant number of deaths, only 47,482 as of now, is because COVID-19 in and of itself is not a deadly virus. Likewise the drop in infections shows that the virus is finally running its course and has nothing to do with plastic barriers or face masks imposed by the government.
