More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
NEGROS Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is backing the plan of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa to recommend to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. the lifting of the state of public health emergency relative to Covid-19."I think we are ready to lift the emergency status," Lacson said.He also cited the low cases of Covid-19.He said that Filipinos have been adjusting to the situation.Herbosa said Covid-19 is no longer a serious national health issue.He said Proclamation No. 922 issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte may now have to be lifted, with Covid-19 being no longer being different from the other diseases that the Department of Health (DOH) is monitoring. Even the World Health Organization said there was no longer an emergency with Covid-19.
 |
| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/874122/doh-covid-19-jabs-still-free-for-poor-even-if-health-emergency-lifted/story/ |
Free COVID-19 vaccines will still be available for poor Filipinos even after the country's COVID-19 state of public health emergency is lifted, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said on Tuesday.
In an ambush interview at the Philippine General Hospital, Herbosa stressed that those who could afford to buy the vaccines could acquire them from the private sector, while the government would continue to pay for those who could not.
“Magiging libre pa rin, pero syempre magiging libre siya sa mga mahihirap (it will remain free, but only for the poor). The government will not buy for everyone anymore,” the Health Secretary said.
“Naalala niyo nung EUA (emergency use authorization), it was the government that bought for everyone. That’s why ‘yung CPR (Certificate of Product Registration) was very important so that the private sector, those who could afford would pay, and your taxes will be used for the people who cannot afford,” he added.
Herbosa announced on Monday that he would recommend lifting the country's COVID-19 state of public health emergency.
This was due to his belief that the coronavirus no longer posed an emergency and could be treated as any other disease that the Department of Health (DOH) monitors, like influenza, cough, and cold.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Monday it had granted a certificate of product registration (CPR) for the Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, making the vaccines commercially available soon.
“That’s a big, big boost kasi nahirapan tayong kumuha ng (we’re having a hard time getting a) COVAX donation for bivalent. We’re negotiating about 2 million to be given, in addition to the 390,000 we got,” Herbosa said.
Since May, the Department of Health has been asking manufacturers of vaccines against COVID-19 to apply for a certificate of product registrationin the Philippines should the country end the public health emergency.
This was after the World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 global health emergency.
If COVID is no longer a serious national health issue then why is the government continuing to persuade the public to get injected with a vaccine that does not even prevent infection?
For his part President Marcos says the health emergency is de facto lifted.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1797123/president-says-covid-19-health-emergency-de-facto-lifted-formal-order-coming-soon-herbosa |
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos believes the Philipines’ COVID-19 health emergency has been “de facto” lifted.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa mentioned the President’s choice to make mask-wearing optional.
During an ambush interview in Malacañang, Herbosa was asked about the President’s stance on his recommendation to lift the state of a public health emergency.
(He said it was like it had been lifted de facto, right? That is why masking is optional now.)
Herbosa said that the Department of Health only awaits the formal declaration. When asked when the formal order of the President will be announced, he said: “Soon.”
“His instruction to me is really to recover from COVID and be able to get back the economy. We’ve lost a lot in the economy from the restrictions,” said Herbosa.
During the press conference, Herbosa said that the Interagency Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases had already recommended the emergency’s lifting but the Office of the President had to review the proposal further.
“The IATF already recommended the lifting, but I think the Office of the President had to study some things that were the consequences of the lifting officially. One is the vaccine issue, because the EUA—Emergency Use Authorization—to get the bivalents,” said Herbosa.
Herbosa said, however, that people still need to protect themselves, even if the state of emergency is lifted.
“You still have to protect yourself. I think the public health warning is you still have to protect yourself if you are vulnerable, and you still need to get the vaccine if you want to be specially protected,” said Herbosa.
All it takes is one signature and it's all over but Marcos is hesitating because then it will be harder to procure vaccines.
 |
| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/05/23/what-happens-when-covid-19-health-emergency-ends |
Lifting the country's COVID-19 public health emergency may affect the emergency authorizations issued on coronavirus vaccines, a think tank said Wednesday.
According to OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David, the COVID-19 jabs being administered in the country were approved under emergency use authorization.
"Honestly, now our protocols are relaxed and almost nothing will change because our masking is no longer mandatory," he told Teleradyo Servisyo.
"Maybe the main essence of that is our vaccination because our vaccines that used to come in were under EUA."
This also comes as the Food and Drug Administration has granted a certificate of product registration for Pfizer's bivalent COVID-19 vaccine.
The Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5 COVID-19 vaccine is available for use as a booster in people aged 12 years and over, the FDA said.
A CPR allows manufacturers to sell their vaccines directly to the public.
The FDA also called on other drugmakers to apply and to complete the requirements for other COVID-19 vaccines to provide "a diverse portfolio of safe and effective options" for Filipinos.
It's all about making sure Filipinos get injected with the ineffective vaccine.
Fully vaccinated individuals attending the SONA will not have to be swabbed for COVID.
 |
| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/04/23/no-need-for-covid-test-for-fully-vaccinated-sona-attendees |
Attendees of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to present a negative COVID-19 test result or fill out a health declaration form to enter the premises of the House of Representatives on July 24, according to House Secretary General Reginald Velasco.
He noted that having a booster shot is also not a requirement to attend the SONA. They only need to present their vaccination card.
But for unvaccinated vaccinated guests or those with COVID symptoms, they will be required to present a negative RT-PCR test result.
"We have been informed that it will be lifted, the antigen requirement is no longer there. Even the health declaration, we will forget that. So you media people, we will no longer require that. The only requirement is if you have symptoms, then we will require you to get the RT-PCR, or those who are unvaccinated. Then we will have a special lane for them, because we don't want to risk the health of all the guests and members of Congress and everybody else present, including the President himself," Velasco said, after attending an inter-agency meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss SONA preparations.
"Just the vaccination card, then the vaccination card no longer the one with booster. Just the primary one, the two. That's the minimum requirement. "Those who are unvaccinated, preferably don't attend, but if you need to attend, you need to do RT-PCR, 48 hours before SONA," he added.
Velasco said the lifting of the antigen test requirement came from Malacanang. He added that the wearing of face masks will be optional.
"They are the ones who announced that the antigen will no longer be required. As you know, there are receptions in Malacanang where the antigen is gone. So I think they realized that it should be back to normal," said Velasco.
"In fact, maybe the message of President BBM is we're back in business. Isn't it the talk with economic managers... They are very optimistic about the prospects of the Philippine economy. So your protocol needs to be consistent. But they will also require the face mask but it is optional, that will be our rule. Not everyone wears a face mask. So if your situation is a bit dangerous, that will be made optional," Velasco said.
But for those with symptoms or who are unvaccinated they will be required to provide a negative RT-PCR test.
Post-COVID remittances are back up.
 |
| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1795558/post-covid-remittances-fling-ph-back-on-list-of-biggest-migrant-worker-money-recipients |
Following the slowdown and restrain in the inflow of remittances early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) continued to rise—making the country among the world’s top remittance recipients.
Due to factors like temporary or permanent loss of jobs among migrants and underemployment in host countries whose economies have contracted or experienced significant growth slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank previously projected that global remittances would decline by 7 percent in 2020.
The report noted that the country’s remittances grew by about 4 percent from US$36.7 billion in 2021, “benefiting from a lifting of the ban on emigration to Saudi Arabia due to the abusive treatment of workers, and specific deals forged by the Filipino government, especially in new OECD [Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development] destinations.“
Except for the emergency health status still in effect everything is back to normal.
No comments:
Post a Comment