Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday, November 17, ordered stricter health protocols for all visitors, guests, and resource persons entering the Senate.

They will all be required to submit a negative RT-PCR or antigen test result with a 24-hour validity from the time their specimen was collected. They must also present a medical certificate showing their status as negative for the coronavirus and a vaccine card proving they are fully vaccinated. 

This comes after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana tested positive for COVID-19, exposing several senators, staff, government officials, and even visiting Hungarian lawmakers as they were all physically present during the Senate deliberations on the proposed 2022 budget on Tuesday, November 16. 

The Senate suspended the plenary debates until Monday, November 22, while the premises are disinfected and those exposed undergo COVID-19 tests and quarantine. 

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The Department of Health (DOH) reported a daily COVID-19 positivity rate of 3.9% in its bulletin on Sunday, November 14.

It is the lowest daily positivity rate in 18 months, or since May 17, 2020, when it stood at 3.77%, based on DOH data.

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The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Health signed an agreement allowing post-graduate and undergraduate interns, clinical clerks, and graduating medicine and nursing students to volunteer for the country’s anti-COVID-19 vaccination program.

In a statement, CHED said that the students can volunteer as health screeners, vaccinators, and pre or post-vaccination monitors “under the supervision of licensed physicians and nurses.” This could be part of their internship, CHED said.

“As we increase the number of vaccination sites and increase daily targets, these additional vaccinators and support staff are critical to achieve herd immunity in the next two months,” said CHED Chairperson Prospero de Vera III.