News Roundup 13 May 2020
May 13, 2020 • 3 min Read
DOH: Patient data errors corrected, did not affect decisions on COVID-19 response | PHILSTAR.COM – The errors found in data on coronavirus patients have already been corrected, the Department of Health said Wednesday as it assured the public that the discrepancies did not have any effect on the government’s decision-making during the COVID-19 crisis. Experts from the University of the Philippines earlier spotted “alarming” errors in the agency’s COVID-19 patient data. They also observed that DOH data do not always match those of local government units. In a press briefing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the agency has already taken steps to correct the errors found in its April 24 and 25 data drops and “other inconsistencies.”
BREAKING: Govt recalls lifting of coronavirus lockdown in low-risk areas | INQUIRER.NET – The government has recalled the lifting of community quarantines in several areas across the country that have “low risk” to coronavirus infection. According to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, an amendment on the resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) enforcing different types of lockdown in all areas in the county would be made on Wednesday. Año said the so-called “low-risk” areas would be placed under modified general community quarantine (GCQ).
Project ARK boosts COVID-19 testing capacity with 1 M rapid test kits | Bulletin Today – The Project Antibody Rapid Test Kits or Project ARK has raised at least 1 million rapid test kits to boost the number of people that can be screened for COVID-19 in the country. Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on Wednesday said the first batch of 400,000 test kits will arrive by Sunday, while the remaining 600,000 will arrive in batches the following weeks. “The private sector is being close to (spending) ₱500 million worth of test kits,” Concepcion said. “If you see all the countries that have moved up and succeeded, there has to be a greater number of testing. Unfortunately, DOH (Department of Health) is somehow challenged because the testing capability is still to be desired. April 30 was their target for 8,000 per day of testing, while Red Cross is supposed to target 12,000 testing,” he said, noting that the ideal number of swab testing should be 30,000 to 40,000 daily. Out of the 1 million kits, 885,828 will be used by participating companies to test their employees, while 140,600 will be donated to barangays. So far, Project ARK has partnered with the local government units of Manila, Antipolo City, Quezon City, Makati City, Pasig City, and Batangas. Concepcion pointed out that the private sector’s initiative to fund its own rapid test kits complement the COVID-19 screenings conducted in hospitals.
‘Ambo’ intensifies, Samar under Signal No. 1 | The Manila Times – The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) raised Signal No. 1 in parts of Eastern and Northern Samar as tropical storm “Ambo” (international name: Vongfong) further intensified on Wednesday. Pagasa last spotted the tropical storm 410 kilometers east of Borongan, Eastern Samar, moving north-northwest at 15 kilometers per hour (kph). ‘Ambo’ was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph.
