More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
The push for mandatory vaccines by excluding the unvaccainted from particiapting in public life continues. This time college students are being bullied by the government to get the jab in order to attend face to face classes.
 |
| https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/12/2/CHED-limiting-face-to-face-classes-to-vaccinated.html??? |
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said limiting in-person classes to the fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is not discriminatory.
In a press conference in Tacloban City on Wednesday, CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III pointed out that the policy intends to protect the welfare and health of fully vaccinated students, faculty and staff, and it does not violate human rights.
He said there will only be discrimination if the unvaccinated will not be able to continue learning, which is not the case because attendance in face-to-face classes remains optional for college students, so the unvaccinated may still choose flexible learning modes.
[Translation: You know why you can’t join the vaccinated and unvaccinated? If you allow both, you will need testing requirements. Of course, you need to test the unvaccinated, and the question is, when will you test them? When will you do the follow-up test? Who will spend for this?]
These people are brazen liars. Excluding one group from participation is prima facie discrimination. And vaccinated people can still get infected! It has nothing to do with unvaccinated people spreading the virus because both camps can spread it. The vaccine is worthless when it comes to preventing infection.
Cebu City is effectively banning all unvaccinated people from public life starting January 1st, 2022.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523109/no-vax-no-entry-rule-set-in-cebu-city-shops |
Mayor Michael Rama has given residents until Dec. 31 to complete their COVID-19 vaccine shots as the city government will start disallowing unvaccinated people from entering local business establishments after the deadline.
But Rama said those unvaccinated could present a negative COVID swab test result should they want to enter shops here.
He said the ultimate goal was to vaccinate all eligible residents of Cebu City.
“By Dec. 31, all residents of Cebu City should be vaccinated. Is that doable? Let’s try. Perhaps, we can do it,” he said in an interview on Wednesday.
Paying every two weeks or even more often for a COVID swab test is not feasible. That makes this effectively a vaccine mandate in order to go shopping for food. Requiring a person be injected with an experimental drug in order to go shopping and participate in public life is incredibly immoral, unconscionable, and unethical.
Funny that the country is slouching toward mandatory vaccination when there was not even enough vaccines to see their targeted goals during the 3-day vaccination drive.
 |
| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/813295/lpp-lack-of-vaccinators-stopping-lgus-from-hitting-vaccine-targets/story/ |
The League of Provinces of the Philippines has cited the lack of vaccinators as the reason why several local government units have failed to hit their targets during the government’s three-day national vaccination drive, the LPP president said Saturday.
“There are several LGUs that have insufficient numbers of vaccinators. That's why they haven’t met their target number to be vaccinated… but their supply of vaccines is enough,” LPP president and Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on Dobol B TV.
Velasco said 31 provinces have met 50% of their targets while 45% hit below 50% of their goals.
“Ilocos Norte, Ilocos
Sur, Batanes, Siquijor, at Camiguin, reached or surpassed 100% of their target number of individuals to be vaccinated during the ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’,” he noted.
Apart from the lack of vaccinators, Velasco said provinces also encountered problems with their supply of syringes and brand preference among vaccinees.
San Fernando, Pampanga could not meet its goals because they did not have enough vaccines.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523321/pampangas-capital-city-postpones-2nd-dose-of-jabs-due-to-supply-shortage |
The City of San Fernando had to postpone indefinitely the scheduled four-day second dose vaccination of residents, who initially received their first dose of Moderna vaccine, due to supply shortage.
The city government advised residents on its social media page on Thursday, Dec. 2, to wait for a notice from the city health office for new schedules.
Several affected individuals have expressed their anger and disappointment over the delay despite the city government’s assurance that it would proceed with the vaccination as soon as it received the Moderna vaccine from the health department.
A lack of vaccines and staff to administer them and problems with the supply of syringes should be obstacles to any vaccine mandate but it's not.
Somebody asked the Comelec if voters will be required to be vaccinated.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523516/no-vaccine-no-vote-unconstitutional-says-comelec |
“Unlikely,” Jimenez said in a meeting regarding the elections when asked about the possibility of requiring voters to be fully vaccinated for them to be able to vote.
“Wala dapat [There should be no] additional requirements to exercise their right to vote, that is unconstitutional, I think,” Jimenez added.
Previously, Jimenez also said that the poll body will not require voters to undergo swab tests as a voting requirement.
Unlikely? The correct answer is absolutely not!
The pandemic is slowing down but don't let that fool you. The new Omicron variant has stymied plans to allow foreign tourists. For one artist that means less pesos in his pocket.
 |
| https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2021/12/01/205603/filipino-artist-fears-longer-struggle-as-covid-variant-stalls-tourism-pickup/ |
Struggling Filipino artist Alberto Nunez was looking for a change in fortunes this week, until news broke of a new COVID-19 variant, which scuppered government plans to loosen restrictions and dashed his hopes for a long-awaited boost in business.
The Philippines on Sunday backed out of a planned reopening to foreign tourists after 21 months of border restrictions, citing uncertainty over the risks posed by the new Omicron COVID-19 variant that has triggered global concern.
Nunez had sold paintings to tourists on the island of Boracay for over 17 years, typically earning $600 a week before the pandemic. Now, he says he’s lucky to take home $100.
“When I heard the news that the entry of foreign tourists was suspended, I was dismayed since our market isn’t that strong yet,” said Nunez.
The Philippines has been one of the worst-affected countries in Asia by the coronavirus, with 2.8 million cases, 48,000 deaths and an economy that contracted 9.5% last year.
Boracay, famous for its white sands and stunning green waters, had benefited from a relaxation of rules to allow more domestic travel, but Nunez fears that might be short-lived.
“I am also worried after hearing the news about the new variant and that we may go into lockdown again,” he said.
The highlighted part of this article is missing some much needed context. Only .04% of the population has died from COVID-19 which is a stunningly small sample of the population. The reason the economy has shrunk by 9.5% is because the government shut everything down in a massive overreaction. This artist is right to fear another lockdown and his plight reflects that of many as the government has destroyed the economy and the lives of many poor Filipinos.
The government has been eager to vaccinate enough people to reach herd immunity and one official says it has arrived.
 |
| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/07/21/lgus-stable-enough-to-stop-covid-transmission-expert |
The decline of COVID-19 cases amid continued relaxed restrictions in the Philippines could mean the country has achieved "substantial population immunity" against the coronavirus, an expert said on Monday.
Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, a molecular biologist and member of the OCTA Research group, said that even though the Philippines had struggled coping with the effects of the Delta strain, the "most infectious" COVID-19 variant in the past 20 months, more and more Filipinos are moving around.
According to Austriaco, the country is recording its lowest levels of cases and hospitalization in the past 20 months even as it is currently experiencing the highest mobility levels since it recorded its first coronavirus case and the beginning of its major lockdown in March 2020.
"It suggests that we have attained substantial population immunity from natural infections and vaccinations in the urban areas of the Philippines because the pandemic has raged and spread primarily in our cities and our first-class municipalities," Austriaco said during a taped public briefing attended by President Rodrigo Duterte and Cabinet officials.
"The fact that the virus is struggling to find new Filipinos to infect, suggests we have attained substantial population immunity."
The DOH has concurred saying 23 highly urbanized cities have achieved herd immunity.
(Out of our highly urbanized cities, 23 cities fully inoculated 70 percent or more of its target population.)
(It means, they have achieved herd immunity among their target population.)
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1524886/fwd-23-highly-urbanized-cities-achieve-herd-immunity
Sounds great but I would not count on them acting on this and continue to mandate vaccines in certain sectors in those cities.
No comments:
Post a Comment