News Roundup 11 April 2021
Apr 11, 2021 • 5 min Read
DOH logs 11,681 new COVID-19 cases as ‘NCR Plus’ shifts to MECQ | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Sunday reported 11,681 new coronavirus cases, two weeks after the Enhanced Community Quarantine in ‘NCR Plus’ that will see a shift to less stricter restrictions by April 12. Sunday’s count pushed the Philippines’ overall tally to 864,868. The government’s decision for the quarantine bubble came as the country continued to report significant increases in cases.
- Active cases: 145,519 or 16.9% of the total
- Recoveries: 55,204, bringing the number to 703,404
- Deaths: 201, or now 14,945 in total
Robredo proposes identifying subgroups in vaccine priority list | PHILSTAR.COM – The national government’s coronavirus task force should consider specifying more subgroups of essential workers and other vulnerable groups within the priority list of its national vaccination program, Vice President Leni Robredo said. As it currently stands, the government’s inoculation efforts are focused on frontline workers in health facilities for vaccination group A1. Next in line are senior citizens (A2), followed by persons with comorbidities (A3), frontline personnel in essential sectors (A4) and the indigent population (A5). Speaking on her weekly radio show Sunday morning, the vice president said that drivers, sellers, and other essential workers should be included as a subgroup within the A3 vaccination line. “My suggestion is that tapping people [for vaccination] should be more proactive, especially for our people who are less than 60-years-old but who are not capable of working from home. Because those are the people who face a lot of [coronavirus] exposure…They’re the ones who are more vulnerable [and] exposed at the community level,” Robredo said in mixed Filipino and English. “If only the people giving out vaccines had a more proactive in inviting people who can’t work from home or the ones whose jobs aren’t done at home. There should be volunteers helping out with registering [especially] for those people not capable of registering online.” This comes after the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases approved a recommendation endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte himself to classify local chief executives in critical or high-risk areas as healthcare frontliners, allowing them to be among the first to receive their coronavirus jabs.
Speculation of ‘narcissist’ Duterte being sick is part of admin’s ‘script’ – Trillanes | INQUIRER.NET – Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday said he is “not buying” the rumor that President Rodrigo Duterte is sick, saying that the “narcissist” President is doing this on purpose to get attention. “I’m not buying this info that Duterte is sick. He’s been doing that for the past 5 years,” said Trillanes in a statement. “Mawawala kunyare (pretend to disappear) then they’d float their own rumor. Tapos lalabas (then appear) like a conquering hero and burn all those who went for the ride. He’s a narcissist, remember? He craves for the attention,” he added. Trillanes said that instead of getting hooked into the administration’s “script,” Filipinos should demand that the President gets to work “at this time of severe national crisis.” “Napakatamad na, wala pang malasakit” Trillanes said. (Not only is he lazy, but he is also indifferent.) It has already been two weeks since President Duterte last appeared in public, igniting speculations about his health which started after the cancellation of two of his regular public addresses last week.
Robredo warns vs fake news: Bayanihan E-Konsulta is for free | Manila Bulletin – The Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Bayanihan E-Konsulta initiative is free of charge and can be accessed via free data, Vice President Leni Robredo said amid some comments from her detractors that the teleconsult service is charging a fee. A statement posted on Facebook from the OVP also said that its clarification of the fake news has no intention to take a shot at other teleconsultation services that are operating legally. “Mariin pong itinatanggi ng ating Tanggapan ang isang komento na kumakalat sa social media na nagsasabing hinihingan ng bayad ang mga nagpapakonsulta sa ating Bayanihan E-Konsulta page. Wala pong katotohanan ang paratang. Lahat po ng teleconsults na nagaganap sa ating page ay monitored ng OVP (The OVP is vehemently denying a comment on social media that says we are charging for the consultation in our Bayanihan E-Konsulta page. There is no truth to the accusation. All teleconsults happening on the page are being monitored by the OVP),” it read. “Wala pong intensyon ang ating Tanggapan na madamay ang anumang teleconsultation service na ligal na nag-o-operate sa isyu na ito. Humihingi po tayo ng paumanhin at pag-unawa sa mga maaaring naapektuhan ng di pagkakaintindihang ito (Our office has no intention to involving any teleconsultation service that’s legally operating. We are sorry and we are asking for understanding for those affected by this misunderstanding),” the statement added. The OVP was reacting to a comment on a news item about the Bayanihan E-Konsulta wherein a social media user said the teleconsult service is charging P350 for a consult with a general practitioner, P450 for senior general practitioner, and P850 for a specialist. The fee allegedly includes the consult service and prescription. The comment said the Bayanihan E-Konsulta is on a payment-first method. But Robredo’s office was quick to tag this as fake news. The initiative aims to decongest the “overloaded” hospitals and provide medical attention to COVID and non-COVID outpatients living in the National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus) bubble, which includes Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan.
