WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
How many people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Philippines? How many have recovered, and how many have died? What is President Rodrigo Duterte doing about it? What should the public expect in terms of the economy and vaccine development?
Bookmark and refresh this page for the latest news updates, opinion articles, and analysis pieces about the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.
LATEST UPDATES
Philippines approves trials for Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine
With the regulatory aspect of its application done, the Food and Drug Administration said Janssen’s trials could begin in the Philippines in “next few weeks” after the Department of Science and Technology assigns areas to be included and recruits volunteers.
Read the full story here.
Some Duterte Cabinet officials, soldiers are already vaccinated
Ahead of hundreds of thousands of health workers across the Philippines, some Cabinet officials and soldiers have already been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, officials confirmed on Monday, December 28.
“I know some from the Cabinet and from the presidential security guards,” Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said in an interview with dzMM.
Meanwhile, Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Cirilto Sobejana confirmed that soldiers have been inoculated in an interview with dwIZ on the same day, adding that he did not know which vaccine provider the immunizations came from.
DOH to recommend travel restrictions on countries with new COVID-19 variant
The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, December 28, said it would recommend expanding travel restrictions to all countries with cases of the new COVID-19 variant.
In an interview on ANC’s Headstart on Monday morning, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the government coronavirus task force will meet to discuss the measures the country needs to implement against the new variant of the novel coronavirus.
“This is urgent. We all know that the decisions will be critical and that the decisions will be immediate,” Vergeire said.
DOH: No expired text kits released to labs
The Department of Health and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) clarified on Monday, December 28, that contrary to allegations, no expired testing kits were released to any laboratory.
“The DOH emphasizes that unlike medicines which have a shelf life of 3-5 years, testing kits have a significantly shorter shelf life of 6 months from the date of manufacturing. Test kits are fast-moving stock that have to be utilized immediately, considering that shipment and other laboratory processes already take up part of their already short shelf life,” the DOH said in a statement.
“Recognizing the importance of agile stock management for our testing laboratories, the COVID-19 Laboratory Network Project Management Unit (PMU) was created, and a new Information Management System has been launched. The PMU is now developing a more efficient and focused logistics process, while ensuring uninterrupted supply of COVID-19 test kits,” it added.
Lacson calls out Duterte for no vaccines, no VFA remark
“Such a pronouncement from the President is at the very least, unfortunate. I think there could be a more diplomatic or at least a better way of asking a longtime ally to help us avail of the vaccines for our people without sounding like we are blackmailing our way into it,” said Senator Ping Lacson.
Read the full story here.
Recall of face-to-face classes ‘knee-jerk, passive response’ – teachers’ group
A teachers’ group on Sunday, December 27, slammed President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to call back his order allowing the conduct of limited face-to-face classes by January next year.
In a statement to media, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said that the Duterte government is yet again “resorting to passive measures in dealing with this recent development and its impacts on education.”
Read the rest here.
PH COVID-19 cases near 470,000
The Philippines now has 469,886 confirmed COVID-19 cases after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 883 additional cases on Sunday, December 27.
The DOH reported 42 new deaths due to the coronavirus disease, bringing the death toll to 9,109, while recoveries are up by 7,635, raising total recoveries to 438,678.
Of the total cases, 22,099 are active.
