Day: January 15, 2022

The provincial government here on Saturday encouraged all unvaccinated residents to avail of free vaccination as it noted that it was still below the new target set by the Department of Health (DOH). “Once again, we ask for the cooperation of everyone in our commitment to give protection to ourselves and our loved ones against the danger of Covid-19. Thank you very much and continue to take care of all of us,” Gov. Albert Garcia said in his Facebook post. He said under the latest DOH memorandum, the new target…

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Provincial governors in the Northern Mindanao region have called on their constituents to remain vigilant and take preemptive steps ahead of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) alert levels beginning Sunday, January 16. In a response to queries on Facebook, Misamis Occidental Gov. Philip Tan on Saturday said those travelers coming to the province, and residents entering establishments, should bring their vaccination cards especially those among the qualified population. In the absence of vaccination cards, Tan said an antigen test with a negative result can be an alternative. “Wherever you…

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The local Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) will impose the negative Reverse Transmission-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) or the rapid antigen requirement for all inbound travelers effective January 16. The requirement will be for all arriving travelers regardless of the vaccination status and the alert level of areas where they came from or origin of travel. The local IATF-EID issued the pronouncement after the city was placed under Alert Level 3 from Level 2 status effective January 16 to 31, 2022 pursuant to national IATF Resolution 157-A amid…

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As cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases soared anew in Isabela, the schools’ division has suspended classes and other teaching-related activities for 12 days from January 17 to January 28 this year. Schools division superintendent Dr. Madelyn Macalling, in her memorandum released on Friday, said “all synchronous and asynchronous classes shall be put on hold while submission of academic requirements and conduct of other teaching-related activities must be moved to a later date.” Macalling said she consulted the Isabela provincial government officials and higher-ups of the education department on…

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The shift to Alert Level 4 status in the National Capital Region (NCR) and neighboring areas is possible but only if the hospital bed utilization rate for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients increases to 71 percent. Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, explained on Saturday that the escalation of the quarantine classification would also take into consideration the two-week growth rate, average daily attack rate (ADAR), and health care utilization rate. The ADAR is the number of new cases over a certain period divided by the population. The hospital…

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At least 144 personnel of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), along with their dependents, availed of booster shots against the coronavirus virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) during the vaccination drive held at the headquarters’ chapel from January 13 to 14. Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, city police director, thanked the city government for providing the vaccine supply. “With the BCPO personnel immune to the virus, infections are expected to be minimized and the spread of the virus can be stopped,” Martir said in a statement on Saturday. To date, there is…

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A medical doctor and project leader of the study on lagundi as adjuvant therapy for mild Covid-19 reminded the public that there is a prescribed dosage for the herbal medicine that treats cough and asthma. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, in a taped report aired Friday afternoon, said the prescribed dosages will ensure that treatment using lagundi will render positive results. Citing the recommendations of Dr. Cecilia Maramba-Lazarte, the project leader of the lagundi clinical trial by the University of the Philippines Manila with…

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The Department of Social Welfare and Development – Zamboanga Peninsula (DSWD-9) distributed over PHP1 million worth of family food packs (FFPs) to families affected by the health pandemic in one of the towns in Zamboanga del Sur. Ivan Eric Salvador, DSWD-9 information officer, said Saturday a total of 2,000 family food packs have been distributed to families affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the municipality of Guipos, one of the province’s 26 towns. Guipos, which comprises 17 barangays, is a fourth-class municipality with a population of 21,738 as…

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The Department of Health (DOH) logged another record-high 39,004 daily coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections on Saturday but also tallied 23,613 new recoveries. Active cases rose to 280,813 while total recoveries jumped to 2,834,708, or 89.5 percent of the 3,092,409 infections recorded since the pandemic started in March 2020. Among the active cases, 267,185 are mild, 2,925 are moderate, 8,928 are asymptomatic, 1,472 are severe, and 303 are critical. “Of the 39,004 reported cases today, 38,271 (98 percent) occurred within the recent 14 days – Jan. 2, 2021 to Jan.…

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The Department of Health (DOH) is seeing a community transmission of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the National Capital Region although a peak in the number of cases is not expected until next month. In a televised public briefing on Saturday, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire noted that local cases of the Omicron variant have been detected despite a lag in the whole genome sequencing. Community transmission happens when the transmission of an infectious disease within a group is extensive. To date, the country has confirmed 43 Omicron variant cases…

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Members of an indigenous peoples (IP) community in remote Barangay San Jose in General Santos City are having themselves vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), nixing their old belief that the vaccine is bad for their health. Dr. Jett Gajete-Oco, city health officer and chief of the local inter-agency task force (IATF) addressing Covid-19, said it took some time for an estimated 1,000 IPs to submit themselves to vaccination but with the help of responsive barangay officials, they were able to do a “turnaround” on the IPs’ health situation.…

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State forces killed during a manhunt operation Friday the alleged mastermind in the bus bombing in Aleosan, North Cotabato together with three cohorts. Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, identified three of the four slain suspects as Norodin Hassan alias Andot, the known emir for military affairs of the Dawlah Islamiya Hassan Group, Abdonillah Hassan alias Don, and Abdonhack Hassan alias Abdon. The suspects were killed during an Army operation in a remote village in Carmen, North Cotabato. Recovered from them were M14 and M1 Garand rifles,…

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The province of Negros Oriental has fully vaccinated 40.2 percent of its target population against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The Friday report of Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion showed 398,260 out of 990,637 have complete doses, including the one-shot Janssen vaccine. Estacion appealed to the unvaccinated to get their jabs at the earliest possible time, especially with the threat of the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Booster shots are available for walk-ins. “We have plenty of vaccines available and inoculation continues without let-up in the different local government units…

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The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (CBCP-ECCCE) has expressed support for the declared “health breaks” in schools in areas under Alert Level 3 as the country battles a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections. “I agree with the very good decision to put health and life first,” Bishop Elmer Mangalinao, chairman of the commission, said in an interview over the church-run Radio Veritas on Saturday. “I agree with what leaders in various Catholic schools to declare the health break, which…

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