More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
The vaccine is not yet in the Philippines but Filipinos are already being hailed as heroes for administering it.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine given to the 90-year old British woman, who is deemed the first person to get inoculated outside clinical trials, was administered by a Filipina nurse.
In a tweet, the British ambassador to the Philippines and Palau, Daniel Pruce, said Filipina nurse May Parsons administered the vaccine to 90-year old Margaret Keenan.
Pruce thanked Filipino healthcare workers for their “enormous contribution” in the country’s fight against COVID-19.
“A fantastic moment! And great to see that the vaccine is administered by Nurse May Parsons from the Philippines – one of the many thousands of Filipino healthcare workers making such an enormous contribution to the #NHS (National Health Service,” Pruce said in a tweet.
In a report by The Irish Times, Parsons was quoted as saying that it was a “huge honour” to be the first in the country to deliver the vaccine to a patient.
It's great that a Filipina nurse can be the first to administer the vaccine to an old white woman. Time to celebrate. Karaoke anyone?
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday said indoor videoke singing sessions limited to members of a household is allowed.
In a Laging Handa briefing, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, however, said inviting neighbors to join the singing session is a different story.
(There is no problem if you sing inside your house. But if you are already outside your house or maybe inside your house but you invite neighbors to come), that becomes a public exercise of karaoke. We highly discourage public karaoke. Pero kung kayo ay dalawa o tatlo at magkakalayo naman, wala naman sigurong masama dyan(But if you are only two or three inside the house and you are far from each other, we don't see anything wrong with it)," Malaya said.
I thought all karaoke was banned due to children doing school from home.
Karaoke is loud and annoying and so are those horns children toot during the holidays. They are now banned or discouraged anyway.
COVID-19 transmission scare has not spared "totorot" or the traditional yuletide revelry horn, with the Department of Health discouraging its use as Filipinos prepare to welcome Christmas and the New Year.
In a press briefing for their Christmas campaign on Thursday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III advised in a video message to use other alternatives for firecrackers such as drums and vehicle horns.
"Apart from fireworks, we should also avoid the use of torotots and the like so that we can prevent the possible transmission of COVID-19 and other diseases," Duque said.
"Let's find other alternatives to fireworks such as drums, horns or applause," he added.
Unlike the previous years, the DOH is now discouraging even the use of these alternative noisemakers as the coronavirus can be transferred through them.
DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said these instruments may cause transfer of saliva.
"Let us not use noise that uses the mouth that will cause the tranfer of saliva," Cabotaje said during the press briefing.
So the sevens (whistle), the torotots, that is forbidden now. They still need to be masked and socializing, ”she added.
Do people share these horns? That is pretty gross even if there were no virus.
Everyone is geared up for the vaccine but some barangays do not even know that they have been selected to participate in trials.
Some barangays in Luzon said Thursday they were still uninformed of their participation in the World Health Organization’s solidarity trials, according to Mariz Umali’s report on Balitanghali.
Barangay 699 in Malate, Manila, one of the solidarity vaccine trial sites, residents were still wary over the vaccine’s safety.
"I will not allow it by chance because first of all, because those in Dengvaxia, it is also difficult for you to be the one to be sampled, I will not allow it, I do not want to," Rhea of Malate said.
Barangay captain Edwin Chan, meanwhile, said he is willing to take the first jab of the vaccine to set a good example among his constituents.
“We are leaders. To set a good example, ”Chan said.
He also said the barangay will conduct a survey to identify those who are willing to undergo the trial but will still be based on the guidelines of the Department of Science and Technology.
In Baguio City, Barangays Sta. Scholastica, Burnham Legarda, City Camp, and Aurora Hill were chosen by the Department of the Interior and Local Government as participating sites.
Barangay captain Thelma Pasag said they will first disseminate the information among the residents then identify those who are willing to undergo the trial.
Asked why some barangays were not informed about the trial, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the total number of participants is still being discussed.
"We need to finish the clinical trial quickly and we need to get enough volunteers right away," Dela Peña said.
"Because those areas with high cases are needed for good lessons in efficacy," he added.
The DOST earlier said the solidarity trial is expected to start in January 2021.
You would think the government would hurry up and get on the move with this so no one is in the dark.
Santa Cops are coming!
Almost every year the police have a gimmick of the so-called “Santa Cops”, in which some of them dress up as Santa Claus in solidarity with the Christmas season with instructions for public security.
But in 2020, Santa Claus seems to have a partner when the police simultaneously launch the campaign in various towns and cities in Calabarzon or Region IV-A (yesterday / this Wednesday).
Along with the "Santa Cops" who toured various malls, they described the threat of COVID-19.
Some mascots wore coronavirus drawings such as in Tagaytay City and Quezon province.
In Rizal, the police even made the virus face and called it “Mr. COVID ”.
Elsewhere, personal protective equipment and COVID descriptions were combined.
They remind the public to continue to follow health safety protocols such as physical distancing and wearing protection to prevent the disease from spreading.
Police also distributed leaflets and flyers with safety tips against victims during such times such as shoplifting, pickpocketing and car crashes.
Others distributed face masks. face shield, and fan.
Aside from the malls, police patrolled supermarkets as well as outside the church for their information campaign.
Imagine the cops walking around the mall wearing COVID-19 costumes to scare the heck out of you! What's the science behind that?
During the pandemic people have been encouraged to grow their own vegetables. For some this prospect has worked out great.
When the COVID-19 lockdown forced people to stay put in their communities, the momshies began to clear and turn the vacant 1,000-square-meter lot that used to look like a dump into a community farm. “We talked to the [power distribution company] that owns the land to let us cultivate it and grow plants there,” recalls the barangay captain, Rosalyn Ballad.
Permission was given, on the condition that no structure, not even a “bahay kubo” (nipa hut), would be built on the lot.
The Quezon City Food Security Task Force and the Public Employment Service Office (Peso) provided the women with seeds, farming materials, and training. “All the supplies came from them; we were in charge of the labor,” Ballad says.
In just a few months, the momshies were able to transform the empty lot into an urban garden of green vegetables and ornamental plants. Due to the loss of jobs and incomes caused by the pandemic, the Botocan women turned to Villa Berde for food when their funds fell short of meeting their families’ needs.
Juvy Bado, president of the group, says she and the other women harvest the crop they grew themselves instead of buying from the market. Other barangay residents may buy their produce at a cheap price—for example, a handful (“isang tali”) of sweet potato tops for P10.
All the proceeds from the sale of the vegetables are saved so their group will have ready funds for seedlings and fertilizer.
“I have cooked bean soup, ‘pakbet’ and ‘lumpiang shanghai’ from these vegetables,” Bado says. “We’re also exploring other recipes and hopefully, we can market them one day.”
The ever-present ingredient in any meal of the momshies, and also the primary produce of their urban garden, is “talinum,” or the Philippine spinach.“Talinum is high in protein so it’s good for those who have high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes,” Bado says.
The women also barter the spinach for other vegetables or ornamental plants in other barangays.
When they shall have sufficiently developed talinum in Villa Berde, the women, with the help of the barangay officials and Peso, plan to market it to a larger population.
Says Peso chief Rogelio “Batoy” Reyes: “We’re developing a social enterprise from the stories of the Botocan women, how they survived the pandemic, and introduced talinum to a wider [market]. We hope to [brand] Botocan as the community farm that grows talinum.”
This is a feel-good story and for all the right reasons. Hopefully they can maintain the momentum even after the pandemic.
As I previously wrote vaccine is the name of the game but the DOH admits it's not foolproof.
“Right now, there is no 100% vaccine that can provide 100% [protection]. For measles, for example, it is 93% after first dose but this increases to 97% after second dose. In polio, after three doses, it reaches 99%. No vaccine has achieved 100% yet, but these vaccines can prevent an individual from suffering from the severe form of the disease, ”Vergeire said.
“Like the vaccines that we use on children, not 100% but the vaccine will prevent further complications from the disease. Like the chicken pox vaccine, those who have been vaccinated still have [chicken pox] but only in mild form since the vaccine prevents the person from developing the severe type of infection, ”she added.
Likewise, Vergeire said that having allergies is a common side effect of a new vaccine or medicine for that matter.
“All new technology, it can be medicines or vaccines, common side effects are your allergies. That is why doctors ask us before we are given a medicine or vaccine, if we are allergic to something like food or drug we took before, ”Vergeire said.
“Drugs or vaccines are foreign material that is introduced into our body. But the effect is different across different individuals. Not only do I have allergies, someone with me can also be allergic. So we will have inclusion and exclusion criteria [who can receive a particular vaccine], ”she added.
So the vaccine is not 100% effective and some might have sever allergic reactions to it. Looks like it's not a fail-safe after all. The DOH has given her advice about the vaccine too.
The Department of Health (DOH) advised the public on Friday to shun unhealthy practices so that vaccines against the coronavirus disease can have a better effect on them.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said this after an official in Russia said that those getting inoculated against COVID-19 with its Sputnik V vaccine should give up alcohol for almost two months.
She noted that those who drink alcohol in excessive amounts may have a weaker immune system.
“These are just precautionary measures. We all know that when you drink alcohol, especially if you drink it too much, bumababa ang immunity natin (the immunity becomes weak),” Vergeire said in a virtual media forum.
She explained that for a vaccine to work well, one should have a “robust” immune system so that antibodies against the virus can develop properly in the body.
“I think this is not something bad and I think people should heed this call para lang po mas magkaroon ng mas magandang epekto ang ating bakuna. Iwasan muna natin ang mga nakakasama sa ating katawan,” she added.
(I think this is not something bad and I think people should heed this call so that the vaccines will have better effects. Let us avoid unhealthy practices for now.)
Why don't they just ban alcohol outright!? The vaccine either works or it doesn't and the DOH already said its not 100% no matter what you do.
When the vaccine arrives the government has designated Illocos Norte as priority status.
As the province of Ilocos Norte restrategizes to contain coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection here, National Action Plan Against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Secretary Vicencio Dizon assured officials and residents they are on the priority list to avail of the vaccine once it is available in the country.
Dizon and other members of the National Task Force on Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) were in Laoag City on Friday to augment the on-going containment strategies being implemented amid surge of cases of Covid-19 in the province.
In a meeting held at the Laoag City Centennial Arena, Dizon said getting vaccinated is the surest way to move on from the pandemic.
“Ilocos Norte is one of our priority areas especially for our front-liners. Hopefully, the vaccine will arrive by the end of (the) first quarter next year or the second quarter,” said Dizon in an interview with local reporters.
"Hopefully, the vaccine will arrive by the end of (the) first quarter next year or the second quarter?" How about the third quarter?
The government is eyeing to acquire huge volume of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines on the third quarter of 2021, National Policy Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Monday.
In a virtual briefing with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Galvez said the government has ongoing negotiations with nine pharmaceutical companies in different countries.
"Sa ngayon po mayroon na tayong (So far, we are conducting) advance negotiation sa apat po na malalaking kumpanya at patuloy po ang (with four big companies) exploratory talks sa (with) other five companies," he added.
Despite citing some challenges in acquiring the vaccines, Galvez assured that the government is doing its best to access the vaccine shots for the country.
However, Galvez noted that about 80 percent of the available vaccine supplies have already been procured by rich countries.
"Sa ngayon po (so far) most probably baka magkaroon po tayo ng (we are expecting to acquire the) vaccine ng (in the) first quarter, most probably by March, and then also, ang mga (the acquisition of the) second tranche is [in the] second quarter, third quarter and fourth quarter," Galvez said. "But we are expecting 'yung (the) volumes of the vaccines will be coming [in] the early third quarter [of 2021]."
With nine companies surely the Philippines will get a vaccine at some point.
The pandemic has caused the PNP to beef up their scientific skills.
The operation of a molecular laboratory at the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) to be used for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing of police personnel is set to start by the end of the month, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Debold Sinas, said on Monday.
The facility, located within the compound of Camp Sotero Cabahug in Cebu City, will accommodate real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for police and their dependents for possible infection.
Sinas said they are already finalizing the necessary permits from the Department of Health (DOH) and the training of the PNP medical personnel who will operate the facility.
He said the facility will be able to accommodate 80 Covid-19 tests per day.
“Sa (In) Cebu City, once ma-activate ‘yun at mag graduate po ang mga analyst namin din at technician (once we activate it and our analysts and technician complete their training), the Cebu laboratory will operate by the end of the month or first week of January (the latest),” he told reporters during a press conference held at Camp Crame.
The molecular laboratory in a police camp in Davao City is also awaiting certification from the DOH.
Sinas said they are beefing up the Covid-19 testing of their personnel to prevent the further spread of the virus.
You know what else these labs can be used for? Actual police work! Surely they won't leave them sitting idle after the pandemic is over.
After a slow rollout in stores and government buildings around the nation face shields are now a mandatory requirement everywhere.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the mandatory wearing of face shields was one of the recommendations the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases adopted during its meeting on Monday.
“It’s a reality that everyone of us owns a face shield. The new rule only is that we just wear it when going out of the house. So I don’t think it is an issue of cost anymore because I doubt if there’s a person who has no face shield. So let’s just say it is added protection and it is here to stay until we are vaccinated,” Roque said.
Studies have also shown, he said, that there is a lower chance of people contracting the virus when they wear face shields.
Roque said the task force approved only full-face shields. He did not say, however, whether wearing half-face shields was considered a violation of public health rules.
Little by little, that's how they do it. What else that is ridiculous will become accepted and normal?
Thinking about not cancelling Christmas.? Think again! Big Brother is watching.
Partygoers during the Christmas season will be arrested as part of public safety efforts to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), the chief of the Philippine National Police warned on Monday.
“Parties have been prohibited so, of course, we will have [partygoers] arrested,” said Police Gen. Debold Sinas, who drew flak for his “mañanita” (dawn) birthday party in May amid the government lockdown to prevent the virus transmission.
Dinner events, while these can be categorized as parties, are allowed as long as health measures are observed, Sinas said. “I leave it to the commanders to decide.”
Read that last paragraph and understand that the whole thing is arbitrary.
It's a little scary how much authority governments have taken upon themselves in the name of the virus.
Catbalogan City has required the installation of CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras in venues for private social events to facilitate possible contact tracing amid the threat of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
These social gatherings include birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and reunions, among others held in hotels, convention centers, resorts, rented private venues, and private houses.
Mayor Dexter Uy said a prior written request must be submitted to his office indicating the date and venue of the activity and list of participants, which must not be more than 50 percent of the venue's capacity.
The city inter-agency task force (IATF) on Covid-19 or the Catbalogan Incident Command-Emergency Operation Center will be tasked to inspect the venue.
"It must have installed CCTV for contact tracing and designated areas for hand washing and temperature checking for participants. Buffet food serving is prohibited," Uy said in a statement on Tuesday.
Organizers must also sign an undertaking that allows the city police, IATF, or any authorized agencies or officers to enter the venue during the activity to assess compliance with health protocols, and if deliberate violations are made, the activity must be stopped.
Uy said these regulations stipulated under Executive Order (EO) No. 12-003 will take effect until revoked or superseded by subsequent issuances.
Did Marcos ever have such power? And all because of a virus with an over 90% survival rate unless you are already sick.
