More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
The pandemic has created new streams of revenue for cites as new laws have been created and along with them monetary fines upon breaking. Iloilo City has raked in P129K since January 1st of this year.
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| https://www.panaynews.net/city-generates-p192k-from-health-protocol-violators/ |
The city government was able to generate a total of P192,000 in fines from violators of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health protocols.
Based on the consolidated summary data of the Task Force on Morals and Values Formation (TFMVF), these fines were generated between Jan. 1 and June 17 this year.
According to TFMVF head Nestor Canong, most violations were of Regulation Ordinance (RO) No. 85 or the non-wearing of facemask/face shield and Regulation Ordinance No. 66 or non-observance of physical distancing.
Meanwhile, between June 14 and 21, 16 individuals performed community service instead of paying fines.
City Regulation Ordinance (RO) No. 2020-085, which amended the penalties of RO No. 2020-061, mandates the wearing of facemasks or face covering in public during pandemic, and increases fine and includes community service of eight hours for three consecutive days.
Non-wearing of face shields or eye protector has corresponding penalties, same with the non-wearing of facemask: P1,000 for the first offense; P2,000 for the second offense, and P3,000 for the third and succeeding offenses and/or community service of eight hours a day for three days for first offense; eight hours a day for five days for second offense; and eight hours a day for seven days for third and succeeding offense.
If this pandemic has revealed anything it is the arbitral nature of laws. One day you don't have to wear a face mask the next day you have to wear a face mask and a face shield upon penalty of fine or arrest! Never forget that the Speaker of the House admitted that basic freedoms have been curtailed with the pandemic as an excuse!
Some Senators are unhappy with Duterte's reversal concerning face shields. Senate President Sotto wants to find the "genius" who convinced the President to make face shields mandatory. Presumably to make him explain himself. Other Senators want to know if officials are profiting off face shields.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/24/2107712/senators-are-officials-profiting-sale-shields |
Senators have raised the possibility that some government officials may be profiting from the sale of face shields, noting that health authorities have yet to present solid scientific basis for their mandatory use.
The lawmakers cited past instances during which vital equipment, testing kits and other supplies for COVID-19 response were found to be overpriced, as well as irregularities in the disbursements of dole-outs for the poor as uncovered in Senate investigations.
“People cannot help but suspect something is wrong somewhere,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III told reporters in a text message yesterday.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said it was possible that there was corruption, particularly officials profiting from the pandemic, “considering all the inconsistencies and conflicting statements of those in charge of the handling of the country’s pandemic response” – from persistent reports of irregularities in the handing out of the social amelioration program to the procurement of COVID-19 related products.
“The track record and pattern of misuse and mishandling of public funds and other similar issues involving PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.), DOH (Department of Health), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), etc. do not help assuage the negative public attitude in this regard,” Lacson said.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said he would not be surprised that some government officials are exploiting the pandemic for profit as was established with the overpriced testing kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs) and testing equipment involving the DOH, as exposed in Senate hearings last year.
It's funny and sad to read these reasonings. These Senators are admitting that government corruption is rampant.
Authorities continue to tell the public that the vaccines are safe while downplaying their sometimes deadly side effects and the fact that one can still get the virus after getting the shot. The FDA says they are collecting and collating this information.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/26/21/fda-collating-data-on-fully-vaccinated-filipinos-who-still-got-covid-19-domingo |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Saturday they are gathering data on fully vaccinated Filipinos who still got infected with COVID-19.
(We're collating it over the weekend and we will be presenting it next week. We observed that there were those who got infected with COVID even two weeks after the vaccination but these were mild, not serious and they did not need hospital care.)
Last week, around 350 health workers in Indonesia still caught COVID-19 despite being inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine by China's Sinovac.
The report caused many to doubt the efficacy of the Chinese-made vaccine.
(If you read the report in Indonesia, the fully vaccinated who caught COVID-19 experienced mild symptoms, so they were still protected from severe disease and death. We said from the start that vaccines have no 100-percent efficacy but if you get sick, most likely it will be something mild and manageable.)
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145456 |
While Roque acknowledged the amount of antibodies will be determined through an antibody test, he said this will not give any individual a guarantee that they will no longer catch Covid-19.
“So, you know, you can measure antibodies but knowing that you have antibodies is not a guarantee you will no longer have the disease,” he said.
The Department of Health has urged the public not to take an antibody test after the Covid-19 vaccination to check their level of protection from the coronavirus.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on June 2 said a negative antibody test “does not mean that the Covid-19 vaccine did not work.”Vergeire also guaranteed that all vaccines being administered in the country have undergone a “rigorous” regulator process to ensure that they are “safe and effective” against Covid-19.She likewise reminded vaccinated individuals to continue observing the minimum public health standards to keep them safe against Covid-19.
Health experts, during the recent House of Representatives health committee hearing, also stressed that antibody testing may not be the best way to measure the level of protection of a vaccinated person.
Experts also warned that testing for antibodies may only sow confusion.
Former President Aquino died last week. Many mourners attended his wake but not Duterte. That's because of the pandemic. Maybe.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/28/21/duterte-pnoy-noynoy-aquino-inurnment-wake |
Duterte "wanted to go" to go to Aquino's wake on Thursday, "but he was informed that the urn of the former President had already been moved to the private residence in Times," said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.
The President was in Manila during Aquino's inurnment, Roque said.
"Hindi ko na po alam kung bakit," the official said, when asked why Duterte missed the rites.
(I do not know why.)
"It could be because it’s pandemic, and we’re trying to limit the numbers. And of course, the presence of the President would encourage crowds," he said in a press briefing.
Antipolo has introduced teledentistry as a measure to fight COVID-19.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145132 |
Antipolo residents can now attend to their dental concerns with the launch of free online consultation under the city's teledentistry program.
The Antipolo City Health Office dental division said it is their contribution to efforts to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), which has resulted in just 52 active cases as of Saturday.
There have been 9,957 confirmed cases, with 220 deaths and 9,685 recoveries.
"(You don't have to go out to see a dentist. Our dentists are just one click away and ready to help you for free)," the city advisory read.
The government is doing all it can to not return to normalcy and using COVID-19 as a result. One cannot get proper dental care over the phone. That is just a fact. If your teeth are rotting or you have cavities then you need a real live dentist. The same goes for any maladies which require a doctor. But the pandemic is forcing the doctor-patient relationship to change.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/29/2108816/patients-avoiding-hospitals-due-covid-19-fears |
With almost half of patients now avoiding going to hospitals for fear of COVID, a former president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) has underscored the need for hospitals to adopt digital innovation to reach out to their patients.
According to former PMA president Bu Castro, the health care industry is changing and “shaken by the unexpected invasion” of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the past, he said, the “physician-patient relationship is reinforced by the fact that the patient and the physician see each other face to face, either in the clinic or in the hospital.”
But for fear of contracting COVID-19, he said many patients no longer want to visit hospitals, risking their own health and safety.
“Even in the Philippines (hospital visits) have dropped sharply since the pandemic came even though doctors say patients are far less likely to catch the virus lying in a hospital bed than shopping in a store,” he said in a webinar yesterday organized by Globe Business.
At the same time, however, there are physicians who would rather not see their patients face to face also for fear of getting infected.
Castro said more than 40 doctors have died due to COVID-19.
He added there is a need to devise a way, such as telemedicine, so that doctors can reach out to their patients without exposing both parties to the risk of infection.
No amount of technology can replace the importance of a doctor physically examining a patient. You cannot do that over zoom. What's really needed is for the DOH and other authorities to be honest with the public about the nature of the virus. With a 93.9% survival rate it is not as deadly as the government is making it out to be.
A video has been circulating showing a nurse give a person a vaccine injection. Only the nurse does not press the plunger and the person is not vaccinated. After disputing its authenticity the National Task Force against COVID-19 issued an apology saying the case was isolated and the nurse was just tired.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145235 |
"It was clearly an isolated case of a health care worker whom I think was really very, very tired at that time," Dizon said during an interview at the Valenzuela Astrodome where he witnessed a vaccination activity.
"You have to understand our health care workers are working round the clock. They are really very tired," Dizon said.
That excuse makes it all worse. There should be no nurses working around the clock and getting very tired. Dizon is talking about burnout and that is going to lead to trouble down the road. How many people have been given a vaccine but not given a vaccine and did not realize it because no one was taking a video? He does not know nor do we. Senator Sotto says there are "vaccination boo-boos" happening all over and he wants the IATF to probe the situation.
The government has once again laid bare the fraudulent nature of the pandemic.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145449 |
The Philippines’ cumulative case fatality rate remains low at 1.7 percent, Malacañang said on Wednesday, as the country emerged as a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) hotspot in the Western Pacific.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque attributed the low Covid-19 case fatality rate to medical front-liners’ efforts in treating coronavirus-infected individuals.
Roque made the remarks, after the Philippines continues to lead the Western Pacific region in terms of total Covid-19 infections, daily cases and deaths.
“I don’t know about that,” Roque said in a press briefing in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, when sought for reaction. “Alam mo (You know), our case fatality rate has been consistent at 1.7 [percent] which is below the worldwide average of about 2.1 [percent].”
“That is why continuously palagi nating pinasasalamatan ang ating mga medical front-liner kasi (thank our medical front-liners because) clearly, as far as treatment is concerned, we seem to be ahead of the rest of the world, which explains our below average mortality rate of 1.7 [percent],” he said.
Roque thinks it's "treatment" which explains the low mortality rate when the fact is the virus itself is not that deadly as seen by the admitted worldwide average mortality rate of 2.1%. With a death rate that low where exactly is the pandemic!?
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