News Roundup 07 August 2021
Aug 07, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 11,021 new COVID-19 cases in highest daily rise since April | PHILSTAR.COM – Local health authorities on Saturday reported 11,021 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 1,649,341. This is the highest daily rise seen since April 17 when the Philippines recorded 11,101 new cases. The Department of Health in its latest bulletin said three labs failed to submit data on time.
- Active cases: 76,063 or 4.6% of the total
- Recoveries: 9,194, pushing total to 1,544,443
- Deaths: 162, bringing total to 28,835
COVID-19 ICU at full capacity, admissions hit two-month high in PGH | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippine General Hospital is feeling the pinch of the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, with its intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients reaching full capacity and admissions of coronavirus patients hitting a two-month high. PGH’s nearly 50 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied, leaving the hospital unable to admit patients needing intensive care referred to them, hospital spokesperson Jonas del Rosario told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo on Saturday. Del Rosario said that they have resorted to setting up makeshift ICU beds in their COVID-19 wards for patients who make the turn for the worse while their ICU is full. “Napipilitan po kami na i-convert ‘yung kung nasaan man sila, i-convert ‘yun na ICU setup. Lalagyan mo ng ventilator, kung anong kailangan nila, magde-demand ka ng mas maraming tao doon dahil tututukan,” he said. (We are forced to convert their beds into an ICU setup. We’ll place a ventilator, whatever they need, and demand more people to look after them.) The PGH spokesperson also reported a “steady” increase in COVID-19 admissions to the hospital, with 169 patients getting admitted Friday night — the highest in two months. He said the hospital’s 225-bed COVID-19 wards are now 75% occupied, straining the hospital’s manpower and prompting them to shut down non-COVID units. “Nagiging priority po ‘yung COVID, kaya naapektuhan po minsan ‘yung aming non-COVID patients,” Del Rosario said. (COVID becomes the priority, that’s why sometimes our non-COVID patients are affected.) The country logged 10,623 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the first day that Metro Manila, the province of Laguna and the cities of Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro went into enhanced community quarantine to curb the spread of the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant. This is the highest daily tally of coronavirus cases in a single day since April 17, when 11,101 cases were recorded.
House panel to approve ‘Hidilyn Diaz Act’ this week, says Salceda | INQUIRER.NET – The House committee on ways and means will approve this week the proposed “Hidilyn Diaz Act” which aims to exempt from taxes the monetary donations and rewards given to national athletes and coaches who competed or won in international events. This was according to committee chair and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, who is also one of the authors of the proposed law. “We will do it on Monday. We will probably approve it, too, since no one is opposed,” Salceda, referring to the committee’s next action on the measure, said in a statement Saturday. During the tax panel’s regular meeting last week, Salceda ordered the committee secretariat to consolidate all pending bills on the matter. “We are trying to rush this because time is of the essence. The blow-outs are starting to come in,” he said. The Hidilyn Diaz Act of 2021 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act. Under the measure, rewards, bonuses, and other forms of emoluments for national athletes and coaches who compete or win international sports contests shall be exempted from all taxes, fees, and charges. The bill was filed in light of the historic gold medal win of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This was the first gold medal for the Philippines in the history of the prestigious sporting event.
Robredo congratulates Paalam after silver medal finish | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo congratulated Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam on Saturday, August 7, for bagging the silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In a Twitter post, the vice president called Paalam’s silver medal finish a “meaningful way to cap off our Philippine delegation’s Tokyo Olympics journey.” Robredo expressed her appreciation to Paalam for securing another Olympic medal for the Philippines. “Maraming salamat (Thanks a lot), Carlo, sa all-out mong pagsabak sa bawat laban (to your all-out efforts in every fight)!” she tweeted Saturday night. A former scavenger, Paalam bagged the silver medal in the men’s flyweight division after his split decision loss to Great Britain’s Galal Yafai.
