News Roundup 17 January 2022
Jan 17, 2022 • 4 min Read
Philippines posts over 37k new COVID-19 infections; active cases at 290,938 | PHILSTAR.COM – The number of people who currently have COVID-19 rose to 290,938 after the Department of Health reported over 37,000 new infections on Monday. The DOH logged 37,070 additional cases—the fourth highest single-day tally since the pandemic started. Active cases accounted for 9% of the country’s total caseload at 3,242,374. The death toll climbed to 52,929 after 23 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 33,940 to 2,898,507. According to the DOH, 97% of the additional cases occurred from January 4 to January 17. The regions with most cases in the recent two weeks were Metro Manila (36%), Calabarzon (25%) and Central Luzon (12%). The positivity rate was 46% out of 77,410 tests. The rate was way above the 5-percent threshold of the World Health Organization for opening economies. Twelve laboratories did not submit data to the DOH.
A guide to getting a booster shot after COVID-19 infection | PHILSTAR.COM – As a surge in COVID-19 infections believed to be driven by Omicron variant rips through the country, many Filipinos who are due to receive their boosters have contracted the virus. The Department of Health released Monday a checklist for people who want to get boosters but had COVID-19 infection or experienced symptoms. You can get additional protection if:
- It has been three months since your second dose of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Sinovac or Sputnik, or two months since getting the one-shot Janssen jab
- You completed your prescribed isolation period. The isolation period of probable, asymptomatic and mild cases has been reduced to seven days, provided they are fully vaccinated. Individuals with moderate symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, will need to isolate for 10 days, while severe and critical cases, and people who are immunocompromised will isolate for 21 days.
- You did not have fever for the last 24 hours even without taking antipyretics or fever medications
- Your respiratory symptoms have improved
“If you have checked all of these points, you are good to go. Now, go get the jab done! Do not forget to follow minimum public health standards when getting vaccinated,” the DOH said.
‘Not yet the end’: Lawyer says Marcos Jr’s DQ cases to traverse lengthy process | INQUIRER.NET – Just the start of a lengthy process. This was how an election lawyer viewed the dismissal by a division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of a case seeking cancellation of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s certificate of candidacy (COC) on the basis of alleged misrepresentation. “While we can say that the Comelec second division already had a resolution, if you will look closely, the case will take a lengthy process,” said election lawyer Emil Marañon. “This is still the start of the legal battle that he has to face. This is not yet the end,” Marañon told INQUIRER.net. The case dismissed by the Comelec second division claimed that Marcos Jr. lied in an official document when, on his application for a COC, he ticked the box for a “no” answer to the question of whether he had been convicted of any crime that carried the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office prior to his filing of the COC. On Monday (Jan. 17), lawyer Theodore Te, counsel of civic leaders who filed the petition to cancel Marcos Jr.’s COC in the case dismissed by the Comelec second division, said there were two important points to note in the division ruling—while it disagreed that Marcos Jr. made false representation, it recognized that the representation he made was material.
CHR asks gov’t: ‘Stop killings, violence; protect human life’ | Manila Bulletin – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has urged the government to “put a stop to killings and violence” to fulfill its duty and obligation to protect human life. In a statement, the CHR said that “the protection of human life begins from healthy conception and birth and continues by ensuring that each individual lives a life of quality and dignity.” “Every human being’s life has inherent worth and potential. We all have the moral duty to stand up in defense of human life,” it said. “We remind the government to reaffirm its utmost duty to protect life through concrete actions that will translate to reduction of killings and violence on the ground,” it stressed. It pointed out that “all allegations of arbitrary killings must be investigated and perpetrators should be brought to justice.” It then asked the public “to remain vigilant and demand justice and accountability in every instance of arbitrary violation of life.” On the part of law enforcers, the CR said that persons in authority should follow rules on due process and safeguard the rule of law to prevent further loss of lives. “If impunity continues, each Filipino is only as safe as the most vulnerable among us,” it warned.
