Coronavirus Lockdown: Vaccination Not Required, Vaccination "Vital", and More!

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

With the new normal taking shape vaccination is not required for children attending in-person classes. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/02/22/vax-not-required-for-kids-in-physical-classes-deped

The Department of Education (DepEd) is not requiring students attending in-person classes to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Secretary Leonor Briones said Wednesday.

Briones said her agency could not make vaccination mandatory because parents are the ones who decide if their children would get inoculated against the respiratory illness.

(Vaccination is not required for in-person classes. It is voluntary because the ones that would decide that are the parents. But of course, we would encourage vaccination.)

Briones noted children also have a stronger immunity against COVID-19.

Of the more than 15,000 students that joined the pilot phase of in-person classes last November to December, no one tested positive for the virus, she said.

But Briones reiterated that vaccination is mandatory for teaching and nonteaching personnel attending in-person classes.

An unvaccinated personnel can continue working from their home or must submit a COVID-19 test before reporting to the workplace, she said.

In higher education, COVID-19 vaccination is required for students and school personnel attending in-person classes.

This is a stunning reversal and flip-flop. On February 14th the DepEd said vaccination is vital for classes to resume.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1554700/pediatric-vaccination-vital-to-the-reintroduction-of-in-person-classes-deped

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a statement the vaccination drive for children aged five to 11 is “vital to the gradual reintroduction of face-to-face classes and the general welfare of Filipino learners.”

“We are passionately committed to this program of vaccination, especially for the children, since we believe that the future of our learners is related to well-being, mental health, and physical health,” said Briones.

“We cannot achieve and move to new forms and ways of teaching unless our children are healthy,” she added.

Turns out it was not so vital after all. And all it took to reverse that decision was a lowering of status to level one. Does that not show how frivolous all these health protocols are?

In an interesting turn of events coronary heart disease incidence increased during the pandemic.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168960

Deaths due to coronary heart disease have increased by 28 percent for the first ten months of 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020, a health expert said Thursday.

In a televised public briefing, Philippine Heart Association president Dr. Gilbert Vilela defined the upturn as "alarming" and "frightening".

Vilela, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), said from January to October 2021, deaths due to coronary heart disease went up by 28 percent as compared to the same period in 2020, the onset of the pandemic. 

(This happened during the pandemic, so, this means the pandemic has an effect on) cardiovascular disease,” he said.

Latest data from the PSA showed that coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death among Filipinos, comprising more than 17.9 percent of the total fatalities.

Vilela said people are scared to go to the hospital for check-ups and do not buy medicines, simply enduring the symptoms, and so cardiovascular disease cases increased.

The pandemic also caused anxiety and mental stress to many.

These, Vilela said, created a massive systemic inflammation of the vascular system which causes obstruction in the nerves.

“(Those who have heart disease may have heart attack. Those who don’t have heart disease, may acquire it),” he said.

Anxiety and mental stress create behaviors which are unfriendly to cardiovascular health.

“For example (they often eat unhealthy food – like comfort food. Have you heard, comfort food that are vegetables like fresh lumpia? They’re comfort food), deep fried, maalat and so on – it definitely adds to the problem,” Vilela said.

Wow! Who would have thought scaring people to death and forcing them to stay inside over a virus that has a 99% survival rate would have any deleterious effects on people's health? Not to mention many hospitals were full and not accepting patients in some cases. 

Confusion remains when it comes to health protocols. One government advisor wants boosters shots to be mandatory under alert level one.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/04/22/adviser-seeks-mandatory-booster-cards-in-establishments

A government adviser on Friday proposed that areas under the loosest quarantine level should mandate proof of COVID-19 booster shots in establishments, in a move seen to "encourage" those who have yet to receive it. 

In a televised briefing, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the public should get their booster doses as the country's economy recovers from the pandemic. 

"Pero out there who are hesitant, I think we should encourage them by mandating that booster vaccine cards upon entry in the areas of Alert Level 1, those areas who have finished already in primary doses," said Concepcion. 

Metro Manila and 38 other areas this week deescalated to Alert Level 1, also considered as the shift to the "new normal." 

But the DOH is recommending against mandatory booster shots.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/05/22/doh-not-yet-time-to-require-covid-19-boosters

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday said there was no need to mandate COVID-19 booster shots for now, adding there were other ways to campaign for the country's vaccination drive.

This came after Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion suggested that COVID-19 booster cards be made mandatory at establishments in areas under the loosest Alert Level 1 or in areas where administering the primary series had finished.

Metro Manila and 38 other areas this week deescalated to the lowest of a 5-tier COVID-19 alert system, also considered as the shift to the "new normal," to revive the pandemic-battered economy.

"We understand where... [Concepcion's] perspective he wants full protection but for now, what we will do is we will provide information and plead with the business sector," Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said in a televised briefing.

"What we will do is strengthen advocacy... [Government agencies] and our partners in the private sectors will increase communication and advocacy to increase the uptake of booster."

It seems everyone has different ideas on how the new normal should work. Booster shots are not mandatory and being vaccinated is not a requirement to ride public transportation but one will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter certain establishments.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/03/22/covid-vaccine-cards-required-in-closed-crowded-areas-dilg

COVID-19 vaccination cards are still required in establishments that are classified as closed, crowded, or close-contact (3Cs) in areas under Alert Level 1, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Thursday.

The public is urged to bring their vaccination cards wherever they may go even if it's no longer required for mass transportation as businesses may require it, according to DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.

"So that we can sort of sort this confusion, let’s follow the advise of the DTI that the vaccination card is not required at the entrance of the mall, but at the exact 3C establishment at the mall," he told ANC's Headstart,

"Technically you don’t need to present the vaccination card when you enter the malls...However there are some malls that require vaccination cards right at the entrance, I don't see anything wrong about it."

There is too much confusion about what is needed to go about one's business. They should strive for uniformity.

Vaccine supplies in Iloilo are about to expire because no one wants to be injected with them. 

https://www.panaynews.net/in-iloilo-city-slow-moving-covid-19-vaccines-are-expiring/

In this city, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines Sinovac and AstraZeneca are “slow moving” – they are less preferred by the public, thus their utilization is low, according to the city government.

The result?

A total of 466 vials or 932 doses of Sinovac vaccines from the Department of Health (DOH) expired on Jan. 1, 2022.

The said doses’ shelf life was three months from the date of manufacture — Oct. 12, 2021, as indicated in the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“May mga slow-moving vaccines like AstraZeneca and Sinovac kay may other preference ang mga tawo,” according to Joren Sartorio of the city government’s General Services Office (GSO) that is in-charge of the Logistics Cluster for pandemic response.

Aside from Sinovac of China and AstraZeneca of the United Kingdom, the city government has also made available to the public Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines of the United States.

Pfizer and Moderna appear to be popular with people here.

The 932 doses of Sinovac are currently “under quarantine”, said Sartorio.

“Set aside na sya, indi na sya magamit. Kadtuan sang DOH para ma-implement ang guidelines for disposal of expired vaccines,” he said.

Meanwhile, 5,894 vials or 58,940 doses of both city government-procured and donated AztraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are nearing expiration.

Why would anyone use Sinovac when it is not very effective? Granted none of the vaccines prevent infection or transmission but Sinovac even more so.

As of March 3rd the number of areas under granular lockdown in Metro Manila were 19.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1562792/health-protocol-violations-in-lockdown-areas-up-under-alert-level-1-ncrpo

The number of COVID-19 health protocol violations in areas under granular lockdowns in Metro Manila have increased with the imposition of Alert Level 1, the National Capital Police Region Police Office (NCRPO) said Thursday.

In a statement, the NCRPO said that despite the downgrading of the COVID-19 alert status of Metro Manila to the more relaxed Alert Level 1 on March 1, areas that are under granular lockdowns have increased from 15 to 19.

The NCRPO also noted that violations of minimum public health standards have also increased from 3,713 to 4,209.

With the increase in health protocol violations, the NCRPO is asking the public to cooperate with police officers to make sure that COVID-19 cases will not increase.

Despite these health protocol violations the fact is cases have not increased at all since many areas were place under alert level 1.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/09/22/ph-sees-no-rise-in-covid-19-cases-after-curbs-eased

The Department of Health has yet to see an increase in COVID-19 cases nearly 2 weeks after Metro Manila and 38 other areas were deescalated to the lowest alert level, its spokesperson said Wednesday.

Government "strictly monitors" the public's mobility with constant reminders for them to follow minimum health standards, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

"At present, we have not seen any increase in COVID-19 cases since we have implemented Alert Level 1 in several areas in the country," she said in a statement.

"The government strictly monitors the mobility of the public with incessant reminders on adherence to minimum public health standards as well as the national vaccination drive for those eligible to get inoculated."

If there has been on increase in cases despite health protocol violations then perhaps it does not matter if those protocols are followed at all.