Coronavirus Lockdown: Safety is Priority Over Efficacy, No Hug Visits, and More!

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

The pandemic is far from over but lockdowns seem to be on the way out as only 8 areas in the NCR remain under lockdown.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1524854/only-8-areas-in-ncr-remain-under-granular-lockdown-ano

Only eight areas in Metro Manila are currently under granular lockdown, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday.

In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte aired Tuesday morning, Año said this only affects 26 households and 70 individuals.

The eight areas are part of the 77 areas across the country placed under granular lockdown, affecting a total of 99 households and 272 individuals.

If there are no more lockdowns the title of this series might have to change. 

Despite the fact that the amount of cases are lowering and the fact that so many have been vaccinated leading to "substantial immunity" among the population the cops in Manila are breaking out the sticks again to beat people who don't properly social distance. As a last result of course.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/12/08/2146581/metro-manila-cops-bring-back-yantok-sticks-enforce-simbang-gabi-protocols

Despite well-documented cases of abuse and overzealous enforcement, Metro Manila might soon see a return of the yantok sticks brandished by cops when dealing with unruly citizens, the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office confirmed Wednesday. 

Speaking in an interview aired over DZBB Super Radyo, Police Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao, Metro Manila police chief, said that this is because Catholic Filipinos are expected to flock to churches for Simbang Gabi, the pre-dawn Masses held for the nine days before Christmas.

"The stick brought by the police is used as a reminder to follow social distancing. It can also be used as a disciplinary tool ... this will be a last option," he said in Filipino. 

"We have made contingency plans to deploy the police not only in churches but also in other public places for public safety," he also said. 

Rule 7.2 of the PNP's Police Operational Procedures also directs officers to "first issue a verbal warning" to offenders before resorting to force, but also says that failure to give a verbal warning is excusable "where the threat to life or property is already imminent" and cops are given no choice. 

Deploying police in churches will surely help contain the virus. Not!

Those in lock up will no longer be allowed to receive hugs once visitation starts again.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162155

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Wednesday said it would soon allow non-contact in-person visits for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

"(The BJMP is currently preparing for the granular opening of non-contact visitations in district, city, and municipal jails in the country. But let me be clear about this, we are ensuring the physical presence of families in our facilities but some activities that were allowed pre-pandemic will be prohibited like hugging. They will really just meet and talk because the BJMP will implement a non-contact visitation),” BJMP spokesperson, Chief Insp. Xavier Solda, said in a radio interview.

I suppose that means no conjugal visits too.

Face shields have been discontinued but you really should not get rid of them because they could be reimposed at anytime. However, if you do wish to get rid of yours here is what you should do.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/20/what-to-do-with-face-shields-send-to-art-crafters-who-upcycle/

So what do we do with the tons of face shields that have been – or will soon be – discarded because they are not mandatory to use anymore?  Will those plastic sheets and plastic earpieces add to the garbage pile and to the debris in the bodies of water?

Creative crafts that upcycle those plastic sheets are already finding their way to online shops. While the number of upcycled crafts is still miniscule compared to the quantity of face shields that have been discarded since those were made mandatory personal protective gear, the initiatives are getting attention. Who knows, it may start a gift-fad for Christmas – giving something that has not added to the tons of garbage now choking our waterways system.

Instead of throwing the face shields away, four art and environment enthusiasts shared recycling ideas to prevent pollution from these plastic gears. You may either copy these ideas or donate discarded face shields to them yourselves. 

With the new P1000 bill being made out of plastic the government could call on everyone to donate their used face shields to the BSP to make more bills.

When it comes to the vaccine efficacy should be the most important thing to consider. If a vaccine has not undergone thorough testing, is experimental, cannot prevent infection, and cannot prevent transmission then no sane person would take it or mandate that others take it. The insane Philippine government does not care about its efficacy as long as it's "safe."

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1527132/fwd-experts-prioritize-safety-before-efficacy-of-vaccines-for-children-fda

(Our primary concern, especially with the children getting younger and smaller, is safety. Before the efficacy, our experts are looking into safety first.) 

(So far, clinical trial data shows that we do not have very unusual or what we call signals of very severe adverse events. Most of those observed during trials are mild,  similar to those observed in other vaccines for children.) 

Should the Pfizer vaccine be approved for children below 12 years old, Domingo assured that the government will continue to monitor the minors who received a vaccine. 

Citing data, Domingo said that Pfizer vaccine has a 90.7 percent efficacy rate for children in the five to 11 age bracket.

The Pfizer vaccine is an experimental mRNA vaccine and studies have shown that it has a waning efficacy so why bother? COVID-19 is hardly deadly unless coupled with existing comorbidities and children have been proven to not be at risk of death or serious illness.

Cases continue to drop around the nation and the risk of infection is now low in all areas.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/14/21/all-regions-under-minimal-risk-for-covid-19-doh

All regions in the Philippines are now classified to be under minimal risk for COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

The country first achieved minimal risk case classification on Dec. 6, with majority of the regions classified as low risk for COVID-19. 

All regions except Bicol region and Soccsksargen showed negative growth rates for the past week, said Dr. Althea de Guzman, director of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau. The two regions are being monitored if their cases will continue to increase for 2 weeks, she added.

"This decline in cases is reflected in our utilization rates, may it be total bed utilization or ICU utilization," she told reporters.

All provinces remain under Alert Level 2 while the DOH is monitoring Lapu-Lapu City and General Santos City after these reported a 2-week growth rate, according to De Guzman.

The Philippines has yet to detect the omicron variant, the latest variant said to be highly transmissible, and the delta variant still prevails, she added.

Authorities are monitoring areas with rising cases as the country prepares for the entry of the omicron variant, according to De Guzman.

They just had to end this positive story with a note of fear mongering over the omicron variant. Once that variant is detected in the country can we expect more brutal lockdowns? Lockdowns have eased so much so that now its news when two households in the NCR are placed under lockdown.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/12/15/2148008/2-households-manila-locked-down

Two houses in Manila were placed under granular lockdown due to COVID-19 cases, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

Police said the two households are located in separate barangays in the city.

The isolated families are being secured by six force multipliers, according to the PNP.

Police said the number of areas under lockdown nationwide was lower compared to Nov. 13 when authorities clamped down on 56 areas because of a surge in COVID-19 cases, with six in Manila.

The PNP said 42 areas remain under lockdown across the country, affecting 57 families or 130 people.

The region with the most number of areas under lockdown are the Cordilleras with 22 followed by Mimaropa, nine; Calabarzon, six; Metro Manila and Zamboanga peninsula, two each, and Cagayan Valley with one.

At least 37 police personnel and 72 force multipliers are securing the areas placed on lockdown.

Imagine not being able to leave your house for two week because you tested positive for a disease that has a 97% survival rate. Not only that but now imagine it's not even the police barricading you inside, that is bad enough, but so-called "force multipliers," i.e. community volunteers. When will Filipinos say enough is enough and resist these scientifically worthless draconian measures? Never of course. They just grin and say: