Coronavirus Lockdown: COVID Exit Plan, Relaxed Mask Mandate, and More!

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

President Marcos has directed new DOH Secretary Teddy Hrerbosa to craft a COVID exit plan. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/08/23/marcos-to-doh-chief-craft-covid-exit-plan-focus-on-tb

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has instructed new Health Secretary Ted Herbosa to form a COVID-19 exit plan as well as focus on tuberculosis and HIV cases, the health chief said Thursday. 

Herbosa, a former Special Adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said this was among the marching orders of the Philippine leader when he appointed him as health chief. 

"Sinabi niya 'yung COVID, kailangan ng exit plan para makalabas na tayo sa COVID at matuloy-tuloy ang mga kinakailangang mga bakuna, tinatawag nating bivalent vaccines," Herbosa said in a televised briefing. 

The country's COVID-19 task force earlier last year said the pandemic exit plan must include strict implementation of health protocols. Government may require the public to show their vaccine booster cards in establishments. 

Stakeholders, meanwhile, have urged government to improve the country's health care system. 

Any exit plan requiring the public to show vaccine booster cards is going to fail. The government is having a hard enough time as it is to get people to take boosters and those who are not vaccinated aim to remain that way. 

But those facts are not getting in the way of the nation's vaccine program. Last week the Philippines received its first shipment of bivalent vaccines. That was not enough. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/8/not-enough-doh-to-acquire-more-bivalent-covid-19-vaccines

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, on Thursday, June 8, admitted that the country's first batch of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines is insufficient, stressing the need to acquire more.

The Department of Health (DOH) on June 3 confirmed the arrival of over 390,000 doses of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines in the Philippines which were donated by the Lithuanian government.

While this development is significant in the country’s battle against the virus and its subvariants, newly appointed health chief Herbosa said the current number of bivalent jabs in the Philippines is far from enough.

“May programa tayo ngayon to acquire as many bivalent vaccines. May 390,000 na dumating na at I think starting today ay idini-distribute na — pinaka marami sa NCR (We now have a program to acquire as many bivalent vaccines. 390,000 have arrived and I think starting today these are being distributed — most in NCR),” Herbosa told reporters on Thursday.

“390,000 doses are not enough. We need to get more but of course it is difficult. There are technical difficulties acquiring these bivalent vaccines but we are trying to get them and I will push for getting more of these, especially for the vulnerable sector like healthcare workers because the old vaccines are now waning so they need to be given bivalent jabs. We will try to acquire more. I promise that,” Herbosa added in a mix of English and Filipino.

The country has yet to begin inoculating bivalent jabs for priority groups. Earlier, DOH said it will be administered as a third booster shot for individuals aged 18 years old and above belonging to A1 population or healthcare workers and A2 or senior citizens at least four to six months after their second booster jab.

It really depends if anyone wants to take these vaccines. Either way the bivalent vaccines expire in November which means they need to be administered immediately. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/872818/herbosa-administration-of-bivalent-vaccines-must-be-done-immediately/story/

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday said bivalent COVID-19 vaccines should be administered immediately as these donated vaccines will expire in November.

Herbosa said it is now up to the local government units as the vaccines have been already distributed.

(Its shelf life is only six months. So if you buy that out of the shelf, like this one, this donation, they end in November 23, that's the expiry date. So, I need to start vaccinating people immediately.)

(That should push through with the LGUs. Once it's there, they can already do that in the center. So, I will check after this meeting, that’s a very important question. I will check if the distribution has been done.)

I predict a good many of these vaccines will expire and the busybodies in the Senate will call for an investigation. 

One town is aiming for zero COVID-19 cases.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/10/paranaque-mayor-olivarez-aims-for-single-digit-zero-covid-19-cases

Parañaque City Mayor Eric Olivarez urged residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19 at their barangay health centers in order for the city to attain zero or only single digit numbers of Covid cases.

The mayor said this as the city government resumed Covid-19 vaccinations in all of the 16 barangays after it was temporarily stopped during the whole month of May due to the launch of the "Chikiting Ligtas" vaccination campaign against polio, rubella, and measles.

Olivarez said the vaccination against Covid-19 is open to all barangays for children aged five years old and above for their first and second dose; first booster shot for 12 years old and above; second booster shot for 18 years old and above.

He told residents to always check the announcements on the vaccination schedules at their barangays and or other vaccination sites.

The mayor also reminded residents who will be receiving vaccines to always follow the minimum public health protocols to avoid the spread of the disease.

Vaccines do not stop the spread of the virus.  Is this guy even paying attention? But that is not stopping anyone from promoting them as the end-all-be-all.  

Vaccines might become commercially available soon. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/06/10/2272806/covid-19-vaccines-may-be-commercially-out-month

COVID-19 vaccines could soon become commercially available in the country as the release of the certificate of product registration (CPR) is anticipated later this month.

Dr. Rontgene Solante, a member of the Vaccine Experts Panel, revealed this during an interview on “The Chiefs” broadcast on Cignal TV’s One News channel Thursday night.

“I’ve heard it will be coming out soon, any time this June or early July. Hopefully, we will already have that (CPR),” Solante said.

He further explained that pharmaceutical companies had submitted applications for the CPR as early as last December or January. Considering the typical timeline for FDA approval, which is around six months for regular CPR, Solante believes the approval should have already been granted.

A CPR is a license granted by the FDA for the manufacture, distribution and sale of a medical device.

All COVID-19 vaccines and medicines in the government’s inventory are currently distributed and administered under an emergency use authorization or EUA.

“The requirement for CPR compared to a requirement for EUA is totally different,” explained Solante. “Much is being asked when you apply for CPR because it means you are selling it, it is for commercial use already.”

Is anyone going to pay for this useless nonsense?

The new DOH Secretary has been asked to expedite COVID-19 benefits for health workers.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1203173

Senator Christopher Lawrence Go on Thursday called on newly-appointed Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa to find ways for the immediate release of payments for the Covid-19 benefits of health workers.

Go made the call during an ambush interview after joining the distribution of Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija province.

“If the government already has the funds, I am calling on the DBM, the DOH, to speed up and give what is due for our health workers," he said.

The chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography said he has been urging for government to give health workers their due even during the time of DOH officer-in-charge Ma. Rosario Vergeire

This call has been ongoing for years! THe new DOH secretary claims 90% of these benefits have already been paid. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/13/23/doh-chief-vows-health-workers-will-get-due-benefits

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Tuesday assured healthcare workers they will get their unpaid benefits, after a lawmaker urged him to settle the over P12 billion in allowances owed to them by the government. 

Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte earlier urged Herbosa to release the P12.57 billion balance out of the P19.96 billion worth of COVID-19 benefits and allowances for health care and non-healthcare workers. 

But during a briefing in Malacañang, Herbosa, citing internal reports, said "most of the benefits" had already been released especially in the government. 

"Those who did not receive had technical issues with the hospital administration are directors of them and I was told it was mostly private hospitals," said Herbosa. 

"So sa government, naibigay lahat yan... Kasi the private hospitals don't have the same processes we do in government. Lahat ng papel yung gagawa ka, alam ng government director hospitals na mako-Commission on Audit sila every centavo niyan," he added. 

"Yung documentation doon... is a problem, kawawa yung nurse. To me, kawawa ang nurse. I cannot change the process." 

The health chief said he personally saw that "90 percent" of the benefits were already distributed. 

If 90% of all benefits have been distributed then what's the problem?

Baguio is calling for a relaxed face mask mandate.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/06/11/2273053/relaxed-mask-mandate-baguio-eyed

The wearing of face masks indoors and in crowded places in this city may no longer be mandatory.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong has said he is ready to relax the face mask requirement if the downtrend in COVID cases continues in the next two weeks.

Magalong said various indicators point to a decline in COVID cases in the past days.

“If we continue to maintain this trend... I will declare wearing of masks optional,” he said.

On May 17, Magalong issued an executive order reimposing the wearing of face masks indoors and in crowded areas after the city health office reported an uptrend in COVID cases.

He said the mask mandate applies even to non-residents amid an influx of tourists.

The mandatory use of face masks was implemented at the Baguio City hall, churches, other indoor locations and other places of convergence.

Magalong said contact tracing is being implemented again in the city to trace and treat those found positive for the virus.

He served as contract tracing czar at the height of the COVID pandemic.

Who are these people kidding?  There is no national mask mandate in the Philippines!  If you are wearing one then take it off!

Nationwide COVID cases are down.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1786825/fwd-ncrs-covid-19-positivity-rate-decreases-further-to-11-4-octa

The weekly COVID-19 positivity rate nationwide and in Metro Manila have decreased, according to OCTA Research fellow Guido David.

The nationwide positivity rate dropped from 14.8 (as of June 10) percent to 13.2 percent (June 11) while the Metro Manila positivity rate dipped from  14.6 percent (June 8) to 11.6 percent (June 10).

This has been the over all trend for a while now.