News Roundup 02 January 2022
Jan 02, 2022 • 3 min Read
PH logs 4,600 new COVID-19 cases; active cases at 21,418 | INQUIRER.NET – The country has recorded 4,600 new COVID-19 cases — the highest recorded since Oct. 24, 2021, the Department of Health (DOH) said.The new infections raised the number of active COVID-19 cases to 21,418, or almost back to the number of cases the country had in November of last year before the number of daily cases dipped below 1,000 during the holidays. The positivity rate also increased to 19.6 percent even despite the relatively low number of tests conducted at 26,122. This is dramatically higher than the World Health Organization’s threshold of 5 percent which indicates controlled transmission of the SARS-CoV-2. Of the new cases, the DOH said 99 percent or 4,548 of the 4,600 cases were recorded in the recent 14 days. The National Capital Region was again listed as the top region with 3,279 cases or 72 percent in the recent two weeks; followed by Region 4-A with 676 or 15 percent; and Region 3 with 252 or 6 percent. The DOH also reported 535 new recoveries.
3-day Supreme Court work suspension ordered due to COVID-19 | INQUIRER.NET – There will be a three-day work suspension in the Supreme Court from January 3 to 5, 2022, after a number of court personnel tested positive for COVID-19 after taking an antigen test last Dec. 27, 2021. The Medical and Dental Services (MDS) submitted a report to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo stating that that “many Court personnel who have positive results on antigen testing done from Dec. 27, 2021, to date and that contact tracing conducted reveals they were in close physical contact with other Court employees.” Gesmundo then consulted the other justices (en banc) about the situation. The Chief Justice then issued Memorandum Order No. 2-2022 declaring a work suspension from Monday, January 3, to Wednesday, January 5, 2022. The suspension is to pave way for similar testing of all other court personnel and for the disinfection of the entire court premises.
‘Odette’ death toll now at 407 as relief continues into 2022 | PHILSTAR.COM – As 2022 begins, the death toll from Super Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) has climbed to 407 more than a week after the super typhoon left the Philippine area of responsibility, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Sunday. According to the latest situation report by the NDRRMC, 78 remain missing in the aftermath of ‘Odette,’ while the number of those listed as injured by the storm has risen to 1,147. Areas most hit by Odette were Mimaropa, Region 5, Region 6, Region 7, Region 8, Region 9, Region 10, Region 11, Region 12, Caraga, and BARMM.
Alert Level 3 takes effect in NCR as COVID-19 surges anew | Manila Bulletin – Following the detection of more Omicron variant and the surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases after the holiday break, the National Capital Region (NCR) will implement a stricter Alert Level 3 beginning Monday, Jan. 3, to try and arrest the increasing infections. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said that the average daily cases went up by 783 percent this week compared to the previous week, which prompted the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to heighten the restrictions from Alert Level 2 to 3 until Jan. 15. “Right now, we already see an increase in our daily cases, higher by 783 percent in previous week. We could not determine yet if this was caused by Omicron but let us all take safety precautions,” MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos said in a radio interview over DZBB on Sunday, Jan. 2. From a low of 200 cases in the past week, the country saw a quick rise in the number of daily infections. On Saturday, the Department of Health logged more than 3,600 new cases. To make uniform the implementation of the Alert Level 3 guidelines in all the 16 cities and one municipality in NCR, Abalos said the Metro Manila Council (MMC) led by Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez convened around 2 p.m. Sunday. The outcome of the meeting is yet to be revealed but Abalos bared that among the things that were in the agenda include the plans on mobility among the cities.
