News Roundup 21 February 2021
Feb 21, 2021 • 4 min Read
DOH records 1,888 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health reported 1,888 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Sunday, February 21, bringing the number of total cases to 561,169. Of the total caseload, 26,238 or 4.7% are still classified as active cases, or patients who have neither passed away nor recovered and are still in hospitals and quarantine facilities. The department in its latest case bulletin also reported 20 new deaths, bringing the total death toll to 12,088 or 2.15% of total cases. Exactly 522,843 have so far recovered after the DOH added 9,737 more recoveries, good for a 93.2% recovery rate.
With daily cases high and vaccines yet to arrive, VP questions easing quarantine | PHILSTAR.COM – A nationwide shift to the most lenient quarantine status might prioritize the economy over public health, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday, saying daily cases are still high and vaccination against COVID-19 has yet to start. Cabinet officials are meeting Monday to consider a nationwide shift to Modified General Community Quarantine in March, a move proposed by the National Economic and Development Authority and already approved by the policy-making Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Metro Manila mayors have also agreed to support the transition to MGCQ, citing the need to address economic losses from pandemic-related curbs. On her weekly radio program, Robredo questioned the wisdom of the move, citing risks. “There’s no problem in shifting to MGCQ if we have basis,” she said in Filipino over DZXL. “But if we look at our numbers, the transmission is still high and we still don’t have the vaccines.” Health officials reported 2,240 additional cases on Saturday afternoon, bringing the country’s overall count to nearly 560,000, along with 239 new deaths, the highest so far since September 2020. The OCTA Research team has warned too that the capital region would be under a “constant” threat of surge in infections if it transitions to MGCQ. Despite earlier government pronouncements that the first doses of vaccines would be in the Philippines by mid-February, none have arrived so far. “We keep saying it’s because of the economy but that would be a mistake because we separate the economy from health,” the vice president said. “Even if we reopen the economy more, if people are afraid, it would still be the same.” Instead, Robredo said, efforts should be directed to controlling the spread of the virus as well as on making sure that the vaccines arrive sooner.
Robredo to Bongbong Marcos: Focus on 2022 polls after protest dismissal | INQUIRER.NET – Former senator Bongbong Marcos should just focus on the upcoming 2022 elections and prove himself there instead of casting doubts on the outcome of his electoral protest, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Sunday. According to Robredo, Marcos should make himself and his platform known, especially after he expressed a desire to again run for office in the 2022 national elections. “Kaya nga may eleksyon kasi ito iyong pagkakataon na, ‘di ba, na ipapakilala mo iyong sarili mo, sasabihin mo iyong mga plano mo,” the Vice President said over her weekly radio program at DZXL. (That’s why the elections are there, this is your chance to make yourself and your platform be known.)
De Lima thanks US senators for renewed calls for her immediate release, exoneration | Manila Bulletin – Opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Sunday thanked United States (US) senators Ed Markey, Richard Durbin, and Patrick Leahy for renewing their call for her immediate release and full exoneration from the drug charges that were filed against her by the government. The American lawmakers made the appeal following De Lima’s acquittal in one of her three illegal drug charges. Leahy is US Senate President Pro-Tempore and second only to US Vice President Kamala Harris who is concurrently the US Senate President. On the other hand, Durbin sits as the US Senate Majority Whip. Both Leahy and Durbin are ranking officials of the Democratic Party after President Joe Biden, Harris, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In their joint statement, Marky, Durbin and Leahy welcomed De Lima’s acquittal in one of the three drug charges filed against her, but they maintained that this was “clearly not enough.” “The Duterte administration has wrongfully detained Senator De Lima for four years under false charges because she is willing to speak out and stand up to the egregious abuses of the government,” their statement read.
Photo: Aerial Skyline, Bacolod City, Philippines
Photo Source: By NegrosSniper – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75519279
