News Roundup 23 March 2020
Mar 23, 2020 • 2 min Read
BREAKING: DOH: 462 people now infected with COVID-19 in PH | INQUIRER.NET – The number of people found positive for COVID-19 in the country has increased to 462, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday afternoon. The latest DOH data is 82 cases more than the 380 cases that the government reported Sunday. This, so far, is the highest increase posted by the country in a day.
Lawyers warn: Proposed powers for Duterte limitless, without end date | PHILSTAR.COM – A network of lawyers on Monday afternoon called for President Duterte and Congress to focus on proposing legislation on the allocation of specific funds for the people rather than that on securing emergency powers and concentration of powers to one man. In a statement, veteran lawyers Pacifico Agabin, Tony La Viña, Neri Colmenares, Jojo Lacanilao and Kristina Conti and the Concerned Lawyers for Civil Liberties argued that the powers Duterte and Malacañang were asking do not have a definite termination date and can be extended upon congressional approval. “This limitless grant of emergency powers is tantamount to autocracy,” the lawyers said.
LCP asks for donations of PPE suits, isolation gowns amid COVID-19 pandemic | Manila Bulletin – The Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) asked for donations of personal protection equipment (PPE) suits and isolation gowns on Monday after the Department of Health (DOH) designated it a referral hospital for COVID-19 patients. “We only have 98 (suits left). We are seeing at the end of the day we will have nothing,” Dr. Antonio Ramos, head of the hospital’s administrative services division, was quoted in a report from ABS-CBN News. The hospital official said the hospital uses about 80 to 100 suits a day for handling 40 patients. However, the hospital is planning to expand services for the arrival of more COVID-19 patients.
Covid could ‘collapse’ healthcare system | The Manila Times – The country’s healthcare system will “collapse” unless the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is fully implemented in Luzon and in other concerned local government units to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) epidemic, a political consultancy firm warned. PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. (PAI) issued the warning in a study titled “#FlattenTheCurve: Effects of Exposure Risk Reduction and Quarantine Policies on Covid-19 Local Transmission Rates in the Philippines”. The study was conducted by Dr. David Yap 2nd, Ma. Lourdes Tiquia and Aureli Sinsuat.
