News Roundup 01 August 2020
Aug 01, 2020 • 3 min Read
COVID-19 cases in Philippines breach 98,000 after biggest daily surge | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines’ total caseload of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Saturday reached 98,232 after the Department of Health confirmed 4,963 new infections — the most announced in a single day so far. 30,928 of these represent the total number of active cases, which account for the net of reported recoveries and deaths. This marks the third consecutive time that the single-day new infection record was broken this week after 3,954 and 4,063 cases were reported on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The Health department registered 93 additional survivors, bringing the local COVID-19 recovery tally to 65,265. Meanwhile, the death toll stands at 2,039 after 17 more patients succumbed to the coronavirus.
Medical frontliners to gov’t: ‘Time-out,’ revert Mega Manila back to ECQ | INQUIRER.NET – Medical frontliners on Saturday banded together to call on the government to place Mega Manila again under a period of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from Aug 1 to 15 as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country continue to surge. During a press conference held by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president Dr. Jose Santiago said the period of ECQ will serve as a “time out” to “recalibrate the government’s COVID-19 strategies.” “We proposed that this ECQ be used as a time out to refine our pandemic control strategies, addressing the following urgent conditions: hospital workforce efficiency, failure of case finding and isolation, failure of contact tracing and quarantine, transportation safety, workplace safety, public compliance with self-protection, social amelioration,” Santiago said, as he read a letter addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte about the medical frontliners’ call. Santiago said that the “distressed call was made” as the country’s healthcare system is “overwhelmed.” “We have seen a consistent rise in the number of infections and these, among other scenarios, prompts us to act now and act fast,” the PMA president said. “We understand that imposing enhanced community quarantine is a complex decision. Let us remember we need healthy people to reinvigorate the economy. Our healthcare workers can no longer bear the burden of deciding who lives and who dies,” Santiago added.
Sen. Villar opposes call to put Metro Manila under ECQ | Manila Bulletin – Senator Cynthia Villar has opposed the call to again put Metro Manila under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), saying that such a move will again endanger the country’s economy and the employment of Filipinos. “Hindi na siguro, pagbutihin nila trabaho nila (Maybe we can no longer revert to ECQ, they can just work harder). Hindi pwedeng isara ang ekonomiya kasi kung ‘di naman mamamatay sa COVID, mamamatay naman [sa] gutom ang mga tao (We cannot afford to shut down our economy because people will end up dying, not because of COVID-19, but because of hunger),” Villar said in an interview with radio DWIZ.
PCSO condemns killing of its official | The Manila Times – The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Friday condemned the killing of its official in Mandaluyong City. PCSO General Manager Royina Marzan-Garma, in a statement, expressed her condolences to the family of lawyer Wesley Barayuga, board secretary, whose “untimely demise was a loss” to the agency and whose “selfless dedication to public service will always be remembered.” Barayuga was shot near the PCSO office on Calbayog Street on Thursday afternoon. The incident is under investigation, Garma said.
