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(SunStar) THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, August 9, 2021, urged local government units (LGUs) using rapid antigen tests (RAT) to boost active case finding efforts to submit complete reports.

Although the government has allowed the use of RATs in areas with rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire admitted that this poses a data collection challenge as RAT results mostly go unreported.

She said they have been telling LGUs in the past few weeks to submit reports on RATs conducted.

“There should be complete reporting so we can see the overall picture (of the Covid-19 situation) in the country…The report should be complete and timely so we can provide an accurate picture of the situation,” Vergeire said.

An area’s Covid-19 case count impacts on its risk and quarantine classification, which is based on the two-week growth rate and average daily attack rate, among others. The lower the number of cases and rate of increase, the less stringent the quarantine classification is.

he DOH allowed in March 2021 the use of RATs in the NCR Plus, which was then experiencing a surge in infections. NCR Plus is composed of the National Capital Region and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

On August 6, Vergeire also announced that RATs may be used in areas placed under Alert Level 3 and 4 to support active case finding efforts.

She said they have already instructed testing laboratories nationwide to include the RAT kits used in its reports. The laboratories, however, use the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test to detect Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

“In our system of reporting right now, we have CDRS and the CDRS (data) are coming from encoded results from all laboratories in the country,” she said… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE HOUSE Committee on Ways and Means has approved on Monday a measure to exempt from tax donations and rewards conferred on athletes participating in international competitions.

In a hearing, the panel approved the committee report and an unnumbered substitute House Bill, known as the Hidilyn Diaz Act, would amend Section 4 of Republic Act No. 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act to exempt from tax, charges or fees any rewards and bonuses granted to athletes and coaches participating in international competition.

Prizes will also be classified as deductible against gross income when computing for the donor’s income tax. The tax exemptions are to be retroactive to June 1, 2021 to cover incentives given to athletes and coaches who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Considering the negligible foregone taxes from such gifts, and the representations these athletes and coaches make in international competitions which are officially endorsed by, and made on behalf of, the State, these foregone revenues ultimately redound to the benefit of the State,” Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda, the committee’s chairman, added.

Proposals of the bill that were consolidated into the substitute bill, including one filed by Mr. Salceda, came in the wake of the success of Philippine athletes at the Tokyo Games, including a gold medal by weightlifter Hidilyn F. Diaz.

Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo M. Ordanes, the author of House Bill 9899 or the National Athletes Tax Privilege Act, said in his sponsorship speech that the measure will encourage the private sector to support international athletes at no additional cost to the government. This will also help the government direct its public funds to other priorities.

During the deliberations for the bill, an amendment to expand the tax exemptions to include donations for athletes and coaches competing in local state-sponsored competitions was discussed.

Mr. Salceda noted in a statement that there is a greater need to work on greater “end-to-end support” for sports, adding that the country should “invest in our athletes when they are still preparing to win.”.. Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The Philippines is now tagged as “high risk” for COVID-19 as cases rose by 47% nationwide, according to the Department of Health.

“Nationally our case classification is now at high risk,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing.

The risk classification is based on the two-week growth rate, wherein a positive growth shows increase in infections, and the average daily attack rate (ADAR).

Vergeire said the average number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the country rose to a 8,695 a day from August 1 to 7, compared to the 6,498 per day recorded from July 25 to 31. More than 7 in every 100,000 people were getting infected every day during this period.

DOH reported that the ADAR was at 7.20 in the first week of August. It is considered high risk once it reaches 7 and above.

Less than two weeks ago, the country was under “moderate” risk. At the start of July, the DOH said said the country is considered under “low risk.”

The health official also sounded the alarm on Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao as high risk.

Metro Manila has the highest number of average daily attack rate with 12 to 13 people per 100,000 population getting sick every day. This comes after DOH confirmed that the more transmissible Delta variant has been detected in all 17 localities in the capital region.

Vergeire warned that the number of daily infections could go up further despite the two-week ECQ that will end on Aug. 20. She said it will take two to three weeks after restrictions are lifted to see the full effect of the hard lockdown.

Meanwhile, over 200 healthcare facilities in the country are under critical risk, which means it has used up 85% of its capacity. Around 25 hospitals and medical facilities in Metro Manila are also placed under critical risk… Read More

(SunStar) THE Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) statistics are back to the April 2021 level, when the country hit a second peak with an average of more than 10,000 infections a day.

On Sunday, August 8, 2021, new infections fell below 10,000 but the number of people who died and those who tested positive swelled to their highest levels in about four months.

In its case bulletin Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 9,671 new infections, fewer than the previous day’s 11,021, as the tests conducted also decreased to 51,296 on August 6 although all laboratories were able to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System.

But there were 287 deaths, highest since the 401 recorded on April 9, and the positivity rate went up to 20.3 percent, highest since the 20.7 percent on April 10.

The 10,623 cases reported on August 6 and the 11,021 on August 7 were the highest since April 17. The new infections on Sunday were the highest since April 18… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila – More rewards await the four Filipino medalists in the Tokyo Olympics, who completed the country’s best Olympic finish since joining the quadrennial competition in 1924.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Bambol Tolentino announced in a news conference Sunday that additional monetary incentives will be given to the four Filipino Olympic medalists, sourced from the savings of the organization.

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who ended the country’s 97-year wait for an Olympic gold, will receive ₱3 million from the POC. Silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio will get ₱2 million, while bronze medalist Eumir Marcial will have ₱1 million, Tolentino announced… Read More

(BusinessWorld) Philippine health authorities have raised the alert level in eight places in Metro Manila and more than 20 areas in other regions due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases and hospital utilization rates.

This, as the country continues to battle a surge in coronavirus infections believed to be triggered by the more contagious Delta variant.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said that Quezon City, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Pateros, Taguig, Malabon, Makati, and San Juan in Metro Manila are now under alert level four, the health department’s highest level based on the acuteness of coronavirus cases and health utilization rates.

“Alert level four areas are those whose risk classification have reached moderate to critical risk and whose utilization rate of either their total COVID-19 or ICU bed utilization are more than 70%,” she said during a virtual news briefing.

Several areas in the Cordillera region, the Ilocos region, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, the Davao region, and Soccsksargen were also placed under the same alert level, she added.

Sixty-one percent of about 3,800 intensive care unit beds in the country are in use as of Aug. 4, Palace spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said on Thursday. He added that 53% of isolation beds and 52% of ward beds were occupied.

ICU occupancy in Metro Manila was at 59%, Mr. Roque said. Fifty-three percent of its isolation beds and 52% of ward are being used… Read More

(GMA News) Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a statement on Sunday, Lacuna said she will undergo quarantine until she recovers from the respiratory illness.

“Sa kabila ng matinding pag-iingat ay hindi ko lubos na inaasahan ang nakalulungkot na resulta. Dahil dito, kinakailangan kong pansumandaling magpahinga at magpagaling,” she said.

She also called on the public to observe safety protocols to curb the spread of the virus.

The Philippines has so far recorded 1,658,916 COVID-19 cases including 1,552,278 recoveries and 29,122 deaths. .. Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — Moments after absorbing the split-decision loss in the men’s flyweight finals, boxer Carlo Paalam kept his chin up, thanked the referee, and happily congratulated his opponent and eventual Olympic champion Galal Yafai of Great Britain and his camp.

The newly minted silver medalist’s demeanor echoed that of the whole nation — still beaming with pride as the Philippines sealed its best Olympic campaign since joining the summer games in 1924.

Team Philippines will be bringing home four medals from Tokyo, its biggest haul in history, courtesy of Paalam, fellow boxers Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial, and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz.

Diaz made history as the country’s first gold medalist, while Petecio and Marcial bagged silver and bronze medals in the women’s featherweight and men’s middleweight divisions, respectively.

As of writing, the Philippines stands at 49th place in the Olympics’ medal tally, making it the best performing Southeast Asian nation in the quadrennial meet… Read More