More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
While some people are worried about the efficacy of the vaccine the Muslims in the BARMM are being assured that the vaccine is halal.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/03/11/2083578/barmm-residents-assured-covid-19-vaccines-are-halal |
The Bangsamoro Darul Iftah declared Thursday that COVID-19 vaccines being administered to Muslim frontliners in five southern provinces are halal.
Halal means permissible, or acceptable in Arabic.
The Darul Iftah, also known as the House of Opinions, is comprised of clerics, among them graduates of Islamic universities in the Middle East and North Africa, and helps oversee the religious affairs of the regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Darul Iftah’s figurehead, Islamic theologian Abuhuraira Udasan, said Thursday that Muslims should not worry about getting vaccinated due to speculations that vaccines have components that are haram (forbidden) in Islam.
Their concerns are valid. Just was is in the vaccine?
We have been told over and over that the vaccine will bring an end to the pandemic but now officials say that getting vaccinated is no guarantee you will not be infected.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1133194 |
Health experts on Wednesday clarified that getting a vaccine passport after having been inoculated is not a guarantee that an individual will not spread or get infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) anymore.
In a Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, a member of the Department of Health’s (DOH) Technical Advisory Group, said vaccine passports will merely serve as a record that an individual has been vaccinated.
“Hindi 'yung kapag nakapagbigay proof ka na nabakunahan ka na eh hindi ka na manghahawa at hindi ka (na) mahahawaan. And in fact, wala pa tayo ganun klaseng information (It won’t be because you already have proof that you’re vaccinated that you cannot infect or get infected. In fact, we don’t have that kind of information yet),” Lim said.
She noted that vaccinated individuals are expected to benefit from a decrease in the severity of Covid-19 symptoms and that there is no information yet on whether vaccination will decrease transmission of the disease.
“Kahit na nabakunahan na, ang mga healthcare workers pinag-iingat pa rin ang lahat kasi yun ngang paglipat ng sakit, whether mahawaan or manghawa, ay hindi kasama dun sa datos na hawak natin sa ngayon (Even after inoculation, our health workers are still being cautioned because the transmission of the disease is not included in the data that we have right now),” Lim said.
"There is no information yet on whether vaccination will decrease transmission of the disease." Then what is the point of getting vaccinated? Yet the government is continuing to push mass inoculation as the way to fully open up the economy.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1405516/jab-to-cure-joblessness |
“Joblessness is a result of jablessness,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said on Wednesday in response to the report of a record four million Filipinos unemployed in January.
Recto reminded the government that the unemployment problem — now on a 16-year high — was an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the mass vaccination program was the “cure.”
“The contagion of unemployment is a brutal side effect of this virus. Mass inoculation is the cure to mass unemployment,” he said in a statement, adding: “Any [aid] is but a temporary pain killer that will lessen the symptoms a bit, but will not cure the cause.” Recto said that for it to show any tangible effect, opening up the economy should be accompanied by the establishment of more vaccination sites.
The Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol urged the provincial health institutions and local government units (LGUs) in the region to conduct simulation exercises (SIMEX) for the vaccination procedure as a requirement for vaccine allocation.
This, after 22,000 doses in 2,200 vials of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived here on Wednesday.
Dr. John Ferchito Avelino, DOH-Bicol assistant regional director, in a press conference said SIMEX must be conducted to ensure and assess the preparation of people, venue and facilities to be used when the actual vaccines arrive.
"LGUs and hospital must prepare facilities, vaccination workforce, referral facility for adverse effects, and list of eligible individuals to be vaccinated in the localities. DOH will also look into the venue lay-out, process and contingency plan just in case for adverse events like brownout, earthquake and other natural calamities," Avelino said.
He also reminded LGUs to coordinate with the DOH for the conduct of the SIMEX in their areas.
It is always good to be prepared. Funny that the DOH is advising LGUs to prepare facilities for those who might have adverse effects. The AstraZeneca vaccine has raised questions in the EU concerning blood clotting. The Philippines says they will push forward with the vaccine anyway.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1406100/doh-not-stopping-astrazeneca-vaccination-despite-blood-clot-concerns-in-eu |
There is currently no reason for the Philippines to stop the rollout of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine despite reports that some people who received the shots in some European countries have developed blood clots, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday.
“At present, the DOH and FDA emphasize that there is no indication for the Philippines to stop rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines. The DOH, NTF (National Task Force against COVID-19) and FDA are closely coordinating on this matter. The public is assured they will closely monitor all deployed vaccines,” the two agencies said in a joint statement.
The DOH and the FDA said they are aware that a few countries in the European Union have recently paused inoculation of the COVID-19 vaccine from the British-Swede firm.
However, they pointed out that this move of some EU countries has been decided as a precautionary measure while the countries conduct a full investigation to determine the link between the vaccination and the reported adverse effects.
The DOH and the FDA also pointed out that according to the European Medicine Authority (EMA), there is currently no indication that vaccination has caused the development of blood clots, which is not listed as a side effect of the vaccine.
“The position of EMA’s safety committee PRAC (Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee) is that the vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing. PRAC is already reviewing all cases of thromboembolic events, and other conditions related to blood clots, reported post-vaccination with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca,” the EMA earlier said.
Hopefully no one dies from taking this vaccine but the statistical likelihood is unlikely. At some point someone in the Philippines will certainly die after taking the vaccine just as has happened elsewhere.
PNP Chief Sinas contracted the virus. This despite following all the health protocols.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/779512/sinas-observed-health-protocols-but-still-got-covid-19-pnp-spokesperson/story/ |
The Philippine National Police on Saturday said its chief, Police General Debold Sinas, takes swab tests and observes health protocols but still contracted COVID-19, a day after the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro called him out for allegedly not doing so.
"Everytime our chief moves po, he never fails to take the swab test. He wears face mask and shield. He has his alcohol with him. He requires all other offls [officials] joining him to do the same," PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana said in a message sent to reporters.
"But virus is everywhere po. Even member/s of some royal families tested positive fm the virus. Nobody really is exempt from COVID19," Usana said.
The PNP official gave the comment after the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro issued a statement on Friday saying Sinas skipped COVID-19 health protocols when he visited the province on Thursday.
[PGen. Debold Sinas didn't pass through the pier in Calapan and was not among those who were profiled by PGOM personnel. He arrived in the province on board a helicopter and went straight to the regional headquarters.]
Whether or not Sinas violated protocols the PNP here is admitting that those health protocols will not prevent anyone from contracting the virus. That is a very important admission.
It has been a year since the pandemic began and the DOH says they are better prepared to handle the situation now. Yet it also seems that Manila is "back to square one."
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1406381/common-curfew-tighter-curbs-metro-back-to-square-one |
A year after a lockdown was imposed on Metro Manila as the coronavirus pandemic reached the country, the capital region is again bracing itself for enhanced restrictions as if it’s “back to square one,’’ as one senator put it.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Benhur Abalos said police and village guards would set up border controls to cordon off parts of the metropolis, with a common curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to be imposed starting Monday.
In a meeting on Thursday night, the 17 mayors of the local governments making up the capital region agreed to enforce the common curfew for two weeks.
The start of the common curfew comes with the stricter enforcement of health and safety measures to prevent the spread of the virus, such as wearing masks and face shields and observing physical distancing, he added.
“We will implement very stringent measures, because the numbers that our mayors had seen were very alarming, with the presence of the UK and South African variants,” Abalos said.
The Philippines is going full circle it seems even with the vaccine arriving. In addition to the UK and South African variants now the Brazil variant has been detected in the Philippines. Who knows what that will lead to?
The DepEd says that after a year of closed schools being shutdown the Philippines is facing a learning crisis.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1407062/philippines-faces-learning-crisis-after-yearlong-school-shutdown-due-to-covid-19-pandemic |
A year after the coronavirus pandemic sent the Philippines into a months-long lockdown, classrooms across the country remain empty and children are still stuck at home.
Fearing youngsters could catch the virus and infect elderly relatives, President Rodrigo Duterte refuses to lift the restrictions until vaccinations are widespread — something that could take years.
A “blended learning” program involving online classes, printed materials and lessons broadcast on television and social media was launched in October, four months after the school year was supposed to start.
It has been plagued with problems: most students in the Philippines don’t have a computer or internet at home.
The nine-year-old’s science teacher, Kristhean Navales, runs a class over Facebook Messenger but less than half of his 43 students have access to a device.
Using heart and thumb emojis, those that can join signal if they have understood or have questions about the lesson Navales has pasted into the group chat.
They don’t always have internet and what data they have isn’t enough for video calls.
“Subjects that require hands-on activity like science, mathematics — how can we do that in the messenger?” Navales asked.
He worries that his students are not learning much and he’s frustrated by the government’s failure to prepare schools for a return to in-person classes.
“Their right to education should not be hampered by this pandemic,” he told AFP.
School closures have affected all students, but the country’s devastating rich-poor divide has made the impact unequal.
Parents with money can hire tutors for their children — or even a live-in teacher.
Recruitment company Ikon Solutions Asia has placed dozens of qualified teachers to live in a “bubble” with wealthy families during the pandemic, said managing director Paolo Martel.
For poor students like Maria Fe Morallos, who lives in a smoky charcoal-making neighborhood, such opportunities don’t exist.
The tenth grade student can’t afford a smartphone so she sits under a naked lightbulb writing answers on worksheets, skipping lessons she doesn’t understand.
From textbooks filled with errors to underpaid teachers to lack of supplies the Philippines was facing a learning crisis before the pandemic. Closing schools have only made it worse.
Last week a few Senators lamented that the Philippines was back to square one a year later. This week some Senators continued that line.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/03/15/2084473/senators-hit-double-standards-band-aid-solutions-year-covid-19-lockdown |
In a statement, Sen. Nancy Binay hit the "ningas cogon" attitude even among government officials as pandemic-related curbs are now being flouted even as cases rise daily. "Ningas cogon" refers to early enthusiasm that quickly fades.
"What's ironic is that after a year since the lockdown, we are still here with hardly any progress," she said partly in Filipino. The country has seen a fresh surge of cases, with the Department of Health reporting 5,404 new infections on Monday.
"How can we expect people to consiously follow health protocols when even our national and local government officials do not conscientiously follow [these]?"
In a separate statement, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the government "has done what is necessary" but admitted that there is a lot more to be done.
In a privilege speech on the anniversary of the lockdown, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the country has seen "365 days of hypocrisy" from some officials who violated quarantine measures.
"IATF continues to use silly and ineffective band-aid solutions as a smokescreen for the fact that the real systematic response has still not yet been made," Hontiveros said in a statement, adding that to date, the country still has no free mass testing and an efficient contact tracing system.
"Why are police in fatigue uniforms with guns tasked to carry out curbs?" she said. "COVID-19 is a health problem. This virus is not going away just because you brandish a gun, just as it will not stop spreading because there are officers in fatigues at a checkpoint."
It's funny because apparently these Senators don't realize the people are looking toward them for leadership just as much as anyone in the government.
Just how deadly was COVID-19 last year? It was only the seventh leading cause of death in the nation.
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| https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/03/17/2084883/six-other-diseases-killed-more-filipinos-covid-19 |
Ischaemic heart diseases were the leading cause of death for second year in a row, with 99,680 people losing their lives last year. Mortality from the disease went up 2.3% year-on-year, and represented 17.3% of total loss of life because of a disease last year.
Neoplasms or tumors as well as cerebrovascular diseases were ranked second and third, respectively, although deaths from these diseases declined by 9.3% and 6% from year-ago levels.
Deaths due to diabetes mellitus however rose 7.8% to 37,265 last year, enough to put the disease as the fourth top killer of Filipinos from fifth in 2019. At sixth place, deaths from hypertensive diseases also jumped 6.3% to 29,511 last year, when most Filipinos were forced to become stationary at their homes.
COVID-19-related registered deaths only came in seventh at 27,967, prompting the Coalition of People’s Right to Health to lament what it said is the “covidization” of healthcare. The non-government organization argued that while coronavirus remains a serious concern, other diseases should not be sidelined.
Despite all that's happening with the pandemic Duterte wants the country to know, "We can beat this COVID."
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1407393/maliit-na-bagay-ito-duterte-assures-ph-can-overcome-covid-19-pandemic |
“This is a small thing in our lives,” President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday during his pre-recorded briefing, as he assured Filipinos that they could eventually overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I will just say to my countrymen that do not despair. We can beat this COVID. This is a small thing in our lives,” Duterte said, speaking partly in Filipino.
“We have been through a lot of things that are more serious, more difficult, and made us cry more,” he added.
Duterte said this as the Philippines was being threatened by another spike in COVID-19 cases. On Monday alone, health officials recorded a record-high for 2021 of 5,404 new coronavirus cases.
One thing's for sure, nothing lasts forever, even COVD-19.
