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(GMA News) House-to-house vaccination during the implementation of enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila would be risky especially with the inclement weather, an official of the Department of Interior and Local Government has said.

“It’s not feasible during the rainy season. We are putting their health at risk if we do that,” DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya told GMA News Online when asked about conducting home vaccination during ECQ enforcement in the metropolis.

President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized local government units (LGUs) for making people wait in line and under the rain for COVID-19 vaccines.

Home vaccination remained available only for bed-ridden patients, Malaya said.

Asked if local government units should provide free transportation for vaccine recipients, Malaya said public transportation would be available over the ECQ.

“Those to be vaccinated will have no trouble going to the vaccination sites,” Malaya said.

The national government placed the National Capital Region under ECQ from August 6 to August 20 to suppress the spread of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant.

While the economy has yet to recover, this is the third time that Metro Manila, center of the country’s economy, was put under the strictest form of lockdown due to possible surge of coronavirus disease… Read More

(BusinessWorld) SEVERAL LOCAL governments across the country are taking various measures to prevent a surge in coronavirus cases amid the threat of the more transmissible Delta variant.

In Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas in central Philippines, Mayor Jerry. P. Treñas announced Monday morning that a “stricter lockdown” will be imposed this week to Sunday.

“From Aug. 3 to 8, I will place the city on hard lockdown as protection for everyone here. Aklan and Cebu are both experiencing a surge; their hospitals are full with patients already being confined outside the facility. We don’t want the same scenario in Iloilo City,” he said in a statement.

The city is already under the enhanced community quarantine from Aug. 1 to 7, the second strictest lockdown level.

Non-essential establishments or those not related to food and medicine will be temporarily closed. A total liquor ban that prohibits sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks will be imposed, according to the statement.

All inbound flights and sea travel will be suspended from Aug. 4 to 8, and all travelers will be banned during the five-day period.

In Easter Visayas, the regional Health office is expanding contact tracing to the “third generation level” of the positive patient. It also asked local governments, through the barangay health emergency response teams, to ensure isolation in a facility or home quarantine for second and third generation contacts.

Over the weekend, the regional office confirmed 10 Delta variant cases, which were all “considered to be local cases because there were no recorded travel history outside the region amongst them.”

Zamboanga City, in the southwestern part of the country, has declared a no-movement day during the first three Sundays of the month despite being under the general community quarantine, the most relaxed lockdown level. The city also maintains the requirement of a negative RT-PCR test result for all inbound travelers.

Baguio City, a popular tourist destination in northern Luzon, is banning non-essential travelers “regardless of place of origin” starting July 31.

The local government, in a statement, said this will be in effect “tentatively” for one week… Read More

(The Manila Times) THE Bureau of Customs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted beetles at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) in Pasay City.

Customs officials on Monday said the package which came from Hong Kong contained 14 pieces of live beetles and a larva concealed in plastic tubes hidden in packs of biscuits, noodles, and chocolates.

Port of NAIA District Collector Carmelita Talusan said the parcel arrived on July 24.

It was seized because it lacked clearance or permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry.

Beetles are plant-eating insects commonly known as garden pests that damage crops. Its larvae consumes plant roots, causing wilting, yellowing and stunted growth.

The bureau said that under Section Presidential Decree 1433, the importation of pests that are capable of causing injury to agricultural crops is restricted… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The country’s COVID-19 case count breached 1.6 million on Monday, with new infections in a day remaining high at 8,167, the Department of Health reported.

This is the fourth consecutive day that over 8,000 more people were reported to have caught COVID-19.

The tally now stands at 1,605,762, of which 62,615 or 3.9% are active cases. The bulletin shows 93.9% of the currently ill are classified as mild, 1.3% as asymptomatic, 1.48% as moderate, 2.1% as severe, and 1.2% as critical.

Data from a non-operational testing laboratory and another three facilities that failed to submit on time were not yet included in the update, the DOH said. It added that based on figures in the last two weeks, these laboratories contribute around 1.5% of samples tested and 1% of positive individuals.

Deaths also climbed to 28,093 with 77 more succumbing to the disease. Of the newly confirmed fatalities, the DOH noted 29 were incorrectly tagged as recoveries in previous reports.

The DOH records 9,095 recovered patients, raising the number of survivors to 1,515,054.

It also said that of the 50,601 tests reported on July 31, 15.7% turned out positive. According to the World Health Organization, a positivity rate of below 5% is one of the indications COVID-19 transmission is under control.

After final validation, the DOH removed 94 duplicates from the total count, including 20 recoveries. The agency said 19 who were earlier classified as survivors were found to be active cases… Read More

(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — House leaders renewed yesterday their bid to pass the proposed Bayanihan to Arise as One or Bayanihan 3 law in view of the need to revert to lockdowns due to the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and tax committee chair Joey Salceda cited the need for another round of cash assistance or “ayuda” for those who would be adversely affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to be enforced in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“The imposition of ECQ in Metro Manila due to the threat of the Delta variant brings to light the urgency of Bayanihan 3 and we appeal to our counterparts in the Senate to pass this measure and to our economic managers to secure funding for this bill,” Velasco said.

“Among other socioeconomic measures, the bill provides for the distribution of additional cash subsidy for households in areas placed under the ECQ,” the Marinduque congressman added.

He said the bill allocates around P30 billion for the new distribution of cash aid.

Echoing the Speaker’s call, Salceda said passing the measure is the most feasible option for government as Bayanihan 2 has already expired while the President also does not have unilateral power to realign items from the national budget.

“There’s no other recourse but a supplemental budget through Bayanihan 3. The economic managers were broaching the idea of a P173-billion package. We can live with that. The Senate majority appears willing to live with it as well,” the Albay congressman said.

Bayanihan 3 or House Bill No. 9411 seeks to provide a P410-billion economic stimulus package for the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

The measure, which was passed by the House earlier this year, includes a proposed P2,000 cash aid or ayuda to all 108 million Filipinos.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera of Bagong Henerasyon party-list urged the Palace to reconsider its decision to place NCR under ECQ, citing the negative effect of the lockdown on the economy and the citizens.

Herrera warned that placing Metro Manila – the financial center and key to many economic activities of the country – under the strictest quarantine status would further cripple the economy and push more people into extreme poverty.

Instead of imposing another metro-wide lockdown, she said the government should focus on urging people to avoid non-essential activities and restrict movements of those with comorbidities… Read More

(GMA News) The highly transmissible COVID-19 delta variant may have already spread in the Philippines given the “serious surge” in new cases being reported, independent group OCTA Research warned Sunday.

According to OCTA Research Fellow Dr. Guido David, the numbers indicate that there may already be a lot of individuals who have contracted the delta variant through local transmission.

“Hindi naman dadami ng ganyan na lahat ‘yan galing sa ibang bansa. Ibig sabihin, talagang… meron na at marami na,” he said in a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

(It will not surge that much if it was only coming from overseas. This means that it is here and that there are a lot of infections.)

Based on the data from the Department of Health (DOH), there were 1,700 new confirmed cases in Metro Manila on Saturday, July 31, the highest since May 10 when the National Capital Region was placed under the enhanced community quarantine.

“May nakausap kaming mga local government, may isang household, clustering. 18 na tao sa isang household, nahawaan lahat. ‘Yung mga ganyan kabilis, malamang, baka Delta variant ‘yan,” said David.

(We talked to local governments, there was a household that was clustered with 18 individuals who were all infected. That fast of a spread is most likely the delta variant.)

OCTA Research has classified 13 areas as high-risk: Caloocan, Las Pi?as, Makati, Malabon, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Para?aque, Pasig, Pateros, Quezon City, San Juan, and Valenzuela.

The group warned that the occupancy rate of intensive care units could rise to as much as 70% in the next three weeks if there are no changes in the quarantine restrictions.

The reproduction number has also risen to 1.52, versus 1.29 earlier in July.

Metro Manila is under a general community quarantine “subject to heightened and additional restrictions” from July 31 to August 5, 2021… Read More

(GMA News) The National Task Force against COVID-19 on Saturday recommended the vaccination of Metro Manila residents who wish to get inoculated against the illness, even if they do not belong to any priority group.

According to Vonne Aquino’s report “24 Oras Weekend,” the NTF made the suggestion after the wish of Metro Manila Mayors to receive 4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines was approved.

“Sapat ‘yung supply na iyon para sa [National Capital Region or NCR]. Bubuksan na natin kung sino ‘yung gustong magpabakuna, babakunahan na natin. Oo, ‘yun ang target natin. Ubusin ‘yun habang naka [enhanced community quarantine or ECQ] tayo,” testing czar Vince Dizon said.

(That supply is enough for NCR. We will open the slots to anyone wishing to get vaccinated. That is our target, to use up the supply during the ECQ period.)

Around 30% have been fully vaccinated in the NCR.

Nationwide, the government has so far administered 20 million doses, with more than 8 million Filipinos being fully vaccinated.

“We have to increase the number of vaccination sites. Kailangan mag-innovate tayo (We need to innovate),” Dizon said.

Earlier, authorities launched a drive-thru vaccination site at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

“At least dito kahit papaano, umulan o bumagyo, medyo komportable naman ‘yung pami-pamilya (At least through this, families are comfortable even during bad weather)… Ang rule kasi dito (The rule here) is 1 plus 3 so you can bring your family here in this drive-thru vaccination,” Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said.

Authorities are seeking to vaccinate 400 people this day.

The local government reminded that walk-ins are prohibited… Read More

(BusinessWorld) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) brought home 350 more Filipinos who got stranded in Dubai amid a coronavirus pandemic, it said in a statement on Friday.

The announcement followed Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr.’s promise that DFA would use its resources to “bring them all home.”

All repatriates received P10 thousand in aid. They also went through medical protocols and quarantines upon arrival.

The agency has brought home 3,350 distressed Filipinos from the UAE since the health crisis started last year.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) asked local governments to double efforts to vaccinate more senior citizens given the threat of a more contagious Delta coronavirus variant.

In a statement, WHO Philippines said only a quarter of senior citizens have been fully vaccinated, and only 35% have received their first dose.

Also on Friday, Senator Franklin M. Drilon pushed for the creation of a law that will bar unvaccinated Filipinos from leaving their homes.

In a statement, the lawmaker said escorting unvaccinated citizens back to their homes is a reasonable exercise of police power to protect public health.

“In its exercise of police power, the government can impose regulations to promote the general welfare and public interest, including public health,” he said. “That said, the law must be reasonably necessary to accomplish the government’s purpose, and it must not be arbitrary or oppressive.”

But Senator Aquilino L. Pimentel III said those unwilling to get vaccinated should not be punished because that is their right. “What did these unwilling people do wrong? Nothing at all.”

The Commission on Human Rights earlier said unvaccinated people should not be discriminated against… Read More