Coronavrius Lockdown: We're Back, PH is Stoping Further Deaths, and More!

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

COVID is no longer a leading cause of death in the Philippines. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1721032/covid-19-as-11th-top-cause-of-death-shows-ph-is-stopping-further-deaths-doh

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday expressed optimism on its outlook for COVID-19 deaths, following its 11th place ranking in the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) list of leading causes of deaths.

(This is good news for us because in the past years, especially in 2021, we have seen that the number of COVID-19 deaths has become the third cause of death in our country, which means that when it goes to the top 10 leading causes of death, many people die because of that disease.)

(But now, we have seen that COVID deaths have decreased; it is now at 11th, which signifies that only a few people have died from COVID-19 in our country, and we can prevent further deaths.)

Vergeire referred to the PSA’s latest data on the 20 leading causes of death as of Oct. 31, 2022, where COVID-19 placed 11th.

The PSA recorded 13,883 deaths due to COVID-19, or 3.3 percent of the total registered deaths from January to September 2022. Of this, COVID-19 with the virus identified placed 11th with 9,749 cases, while deaths due to COVID-19 with the virus not identified accounted for 4,134 fatalities and placed 19th.

It can be recalled that COVID-19 was consistently in the top 10 leading causes, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it should also be noted that COVID-19 placed 11th the month before PSA’s latest data, or as of September 30, 2022 — reflecting January to August 2022.

COVID alone was NEVER a major cause of death. However COVID did exacerbate the condition of those already ill. That has been proven across the board by the American CDC as far back as 2021. 

Cebu Pacific claims they are back as business soars to prepandemic levels. 

https://business.inquirer.net/383803/were-back-says-cebu-pacific-as-prepandemic-flight-levels-near

The financial losses arising from the canceled and delayed flights due to the air traffic navigation glitch on Jan. 1 will not derail the recovery plans of Cebu Pacific, which eyes to return to profitability as early as first quarter of this year.

The budget carrier, which is nearing full restoration of flight capacity, is also allocating P42 billion in capital expenditures this year for mostly aircraft-related spending.

Cebu Pacific president Xander Lao, on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday in Makati City, told reporters that the New Year’s Day incident only had minimal impact financially for the company, which operated 16 recovery flights following the shutdown of the communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management system. He did not disclose specific figures.

“It’s just one day. Obviously, it’s not a great experience for those that were impacted [but] those that were travelling Jan. 2 onwards, [operations were already normalized],” he explained.

Despite the initial setback, Lao said the Gokongwei-led airline is targeting to turn in profits by first quarter, which would be the first time since 2020 when flights were grounded at the height of the pandemic.

“We are hoping for a full-year net income. First quarter traditionally for the airlines has been strong [usually], in particular, January,” he added.

In January to September of last year, Cebu Pacific operator reported its net losses were narrowed to P12.05 billion from nearly P22 billion in the same period in 2021 with the further return of mobility.

Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and customer experience, said the budget carrier was set to fully restore its 34 domestic and 25 international routes by March.

It currently accommodates about 350 flights per day on average, which is nearing the 380 to 420 daily flights prior to the pandemic. Last year, it flew nearly 15 million passengers, a marked growth from just 3.3 million passengers in 2021.

“We are back,” Iyog said.

She was optimistic that international routes will drive the recovery this year, noting the easing travel requirements to several countries including Bangkok, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau and China.

Now that the burdensome requirements of presenting a negative test before boarding has been lifted people are more eager to fly. Perhaps they are going to some of the many festivals which are returning after two years. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1720671/lanao-del-norte-town-coconut-fest-after-2-year-absence

After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, this tiny town whose people are mainly dependent on coconuts for livelihood burst into merrymaking on Monday for the ‘Hudyaka sa Lubi’ Festival that celebrates the crop.

The festival coincides with the 63rd founding anniversary of the municipality.

The main highlight was the street dancing showdown participated in by contingents from the town’s eight villages, competing for the P70,000 prize for the festival grand champion, which went to Barangay Samburon.

Across the nation festivals are returning. 

The DOH is still hoping against hope that Marcos will extend the state of calamity but that is seeming more and more unlikely. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1951740/manila/local-news/doh-still-no-decision-yet-from-malacanang-on-state-of-calamity-extension

DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, that there is still no word yet from the Malacañang in relation to their proposal to place the country again under the state of calamity due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

“No categorical and no official response to this request for the extension of the state of calamity. But indirectly, the President has already verbalized in one of his media outings that he is very hesitant to extend the state of calamity,” Vergeire said in a press conference.

The DOH earlier said it recommended to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. the extension of a state calamity, which ended on December 31, 2022.

Vergeire said following their proposal, they had a meeting with several officials from the Office of the President where they discussed the implications and options that the government can take if and when the state of calamity will not be extended.

Marcos in an earlier statement said he is not inclined in prolonging the state of calamity since the country is "no longer in a state of calamity" and that it "is the wrong mindset to be approaching the New Year with."

He said the government is finding other ways to continue to provide the benefits to medical health workers, which he said is the “main issue without the state of calamity.”

But why would Marcos extend the state of emergency when COVID is no longer a public health emergency according to one DOH advisor. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1722730/covid-19-no-longer-public-health-emergency-says-doh-adviser

COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency although it remains a global concern, going by the assessment of Dr. Rontgene Solante, an infectious disease expert and adviser to the Department of Health (DOH).

Solante, chair of San Lazaro Hospital’s adult infectious diseases and tropical medicine unit and a member of the DOH vaccine expert panel, said he believed that the world was no longer in an emergency situation because there were several tools, mainly vaccines, to combat COVID-19.

“We have all these interventions now compared to three years ago. We have a lot of these antiviral agents that can really prevent severe infections,” he said in a television interview.

He added that there was no reason for the World Health Organization(WHO) to maintain the state of public health emergency of international concern declared three years ago due to the pandemic.

The WHO emergency committee on COVID-19 convened on Jan. 27 to discuss whether it should lift the state of international public health emergency although it has yet to announce its decision.

Solante nevertheless maintained that COVID-19 should remain a concern especially for the elderly and those with existing medical conditions and compromised immune systems.

“The vulnerable population will always be the target of higher risk of severe cases. That’s where we should focus, on protecting the elderly and those who have comorbidities and the immunocompromised,” he said.

Should the state of public health emergency be lifted, he urged Filipinos, especially the vulnerable population, to continue observing minimum health protocols, including wearing face masks in public, for protection against the coronavirus.

But the DOH says the country is sill in emergency phase. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1723758/doh-ph-still-in-covid-19-emergency-phase

The Philippines is still not out of the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic despite the “manageable” situation of cases and hospitalizations being kept to a minimum despite the many in-person gatherings over the holidays.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Maria Rosario Vergeire, officer in charge of the Department of Health (DOH), said that recent case trends, which have been either plateauing or declining, could not be considered “no longer [in] an emergency [status].”

“We know the virus crosses borders and we are not really certain at this point if new variants in other countries will not enter the country,” she added.

But she clarified that there was no need for tighter policies just like in the first two years of the pandemic when the government had to resort to lockdowns to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

“We will be guided by the WHO [World Health Organization], but here, we can see that our cases are already manageable and our citizens have adopted the good behavior of wearing masks,” Vergeire said.

Her statement was consistent with the WHO emergency committee’s recent decision to maintain the global health emergency status of COVID-19 amid a sharp rise in deaths worldwide in recent weeks as well as the continued threat of emerging variants.

In the Philippines, the latest data from the DOH on Jan. 29 showed that COVID-19 cases in Visayas and Mindanao remained “on a plateau,” and “on a low downward trend” in the rest of the country.

Severe and critical as well as intensive care unit admissions were also plateauing after experiencing a slight increase in recent weeks.

Cases have plateaued and are on a downward trend and yet the DOH says there is still an emergency. 

The vaccination rate among senior citizens in Caraga is over 100% which points to the success to the program. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1193632

At least 12 local government units (LGUs) in Caraga Region have already obtained over 100 percent vaccination rate among their senior citizen population (A2) as of Jan. 21 this year, records from the regional Department of Health (DOH-13) showed.

Data obtained by the Philippine News Agency on Thursday (Jan. 26) indicated that 12 other LGUs also attained over 90 percent vaccination rate among the A2 target population in their localities during the period.

Among the LGUs with more than 100 percent vaccination rate in the A2 the population includes Butuan City with 135.2 percent.

Five towns in Surigao del Sur earned more than 100 percent vaccination rate including Carmen with 124.3 percent, followed by Madrid (117.04 percent), Tago (110.69 percent), Bayabas (107.77 percent), and Cantilan (101.93 percent).

Three towns in Agusan del Sur also got over 100 percent vaccination among their senior citizens, including Prosperidad at 106.1 percent, Trento at 105.7 percent, and Loreto at 100.7 percent.

In Agusan del Norte, the town of Nasipit achieved a 113.2 percent vaccination rate among the A2 population and Carmen with 105.9 percent while in Surigao del Norte, only the municipality of Taganaan obtained a 101.7 percent vaccination rate among senior residents.

“As of Jan. 21, a total of 185,231 A2 population in the Caraga Region are already fully vaccinated, representing 89.42 percent of the total target," DOH-13 said.

And at least one province is now COVID-19 free. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1722827/aurora-province-now-covid-19-free

Aurora province has obtained COVID-19-free status following the recovery of all infected patients, the provincial emergency operations center announced Sunday, Jan. 29.

In its latest update, the Aurora government said the coastal province had zero active cases since Jan. 26.

It said it recorded only six cases of COVID-19 this month—one on Jan. 5, two on Jan. 10, one on Jan. 13, and two on Jan. 16.

The provincial government said all the patients had recovered from the viral disease.

Aurora is the first province in Central Luzon to become free of COVID–19 this year.

So where is the emergency?

Politicians keep telling us the economy is back on track so why is the nation get a $600 million loan from the World Bank to help recover from the pandemic?

https://www.philstar.com/business/2023/01/31/2241552/world-bank-lend-philippines-600m-pandemic-recovery-climate-financing

The World Bank awarded a fresh loan program to the Philippines to support the domestic economy's recovery from the pandemic and improve the resilience of the financial sector.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Washington-based lender granted the country a $600-million loan. Aside from supporting the Philippine economy's recovery from the pandemic, this new loan financing is aimed at supporting three policy reform areas: the stability of the financial sector, improving financial inclusion for Filipinos and businesses, and climate and disaster risk finance. 

"Policy actions that strengthen the stability of the financial sector – including banks and insurance companies – will help Filipino families, businesses, and investors withstand financial shocks and enhance their resilience by ensuring that problems in these financial institutions are detected at an early stage without severe disruptions to the economy,” said Ndiamé Diop, World Bank country director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.

The Philippine economy took a hit at the onset of the pandemic. The economy sank to lows unseen since World War II as the Duterte administration imposed mobility restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.

They will be paying that back for a long time to come.