News Roundup 29 March 2021
Mar 29, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines reports record increase of 10,016 COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on Monday saw 10,016 new coronavirus cases, a new record-high that pushed its total count to 731,894. The new infections are the highest since the pandemic hit the country last year. It came a week after movement was restricted in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan in a bid to control the increase. March 29 also marks the first day with the said areas back in Enhanced Community Quarantine.
– Active cases: 115,495 or 15.8% of the overall figure
– Recoveries: 78, or now 603,213 in total
– Deaths: 16, pushing the count to 13,186
Three weeks after bloody Calabarzon raids, labor leader shot dead in Laguna | PHILSTAR.COM – Three weeks since the bloody Calabarzon raids that left nine activists dead, labor leader Dandy Miguel was shot dead in Laguna by unknown assailants on Sunday night. Group Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan-Kilusang Mayo Uno (Pamantik-KMU) said their vice chairperson was killed in Canlubang, Calamba, Laguna. Miguel was also identified as president of Lakas ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa sa Fuji Electric Philippines (Olalia-KMU) in Laguna. Karapatan Timog Katagalugan also confirmed the killing of the labor leader, who was shot eight times while he was on his way home from work. Miguel’s killing came three weeks after nine activists were killed in simultaneous dawn operations led by the police in three provinces in Calabarzon.
Experts recommending extension of ECQ beyond April 4, says DOH exec | INQUIRER.NET – Experts are recommending an extension of the weeklong enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) because lifting it after a week may only cause a small downtrend in the number of new COVID-19 cases, a Department of Health (DOH) official said Monday. DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau director Dr. Alethea De Guzman said data must be carefully studied, recognizing the economic implication if ECQ over the Greater Manila Area is indeed extended beyond April 4. “Ang nakikita naman namin ngayon, itong isang linggong ECQ natin, bababa nang kaunti pagkatapos ng ECQ pero nakikita sa ngayon, posible pong tumaas na naman ang dami ng kaso natin pagkatapos na ma-lift ang ECQ,” De Guzman said in an online Palace briefing. (We are seeing that due to this one-week ECQ, cases will decrease a little but it is possible for it to increase again once we lift the ECQ.) “Kaya ‘yung isa sa pinopropose, ‘yung isa sa mga nirerekomenda nating mga eksperto, eh baka kinakailangang i-extend dahil doon sa pagextend ng ECQ, doon natin nakikita ‘yung tuloy-tuloy na pagbaba ng kaso,” she added. (That’s why one of the recommendations of our experts is that maybe we need to extend the ECQ so that we can see a continued decrease in the number of cases.)
OVP, partners deploy 3 Swab Cabs for antigen testing in Malabon | Manila Bulletin – The Office of the Vice President (OVP) and its private partners turned over three Swab Cabs on Monday, March 29, to pilot their free mobile swab service project in Malabon City to augment the local government unit’s (LGU) capacity to test suspected COVID-19 patients. The project includes 3,040 care kits and 3,000 rapid antigen swab test kits. The care kits consist of face shields and face masks. During the virtual launch of the Swab Cab, Vice President Leni Robredo, together with the OVP’s resident doctor, personally gave a tour of the bus that will be used for the antigen testing in communities. “Ito ay bahagi ng mahabang proseso. Hopefully, makatulong ng malaki sa Malabon. Pwede magawa ito sa iba pang lugar na may matataas na transmission (This is part of a longer process. Hopefully, this can be a big help to Malabon. We can do this in other places with high transmission),” she said via Facebook Live. The three Swab Cabs will accommodate two testers and patients each. There will be a total of six testers but to prevent transmission in the cabs, the process will be limited to no more than five minutes. The result of the antigen test will be available between 15 and 20 minutes. During the Swab Cab tour, it was shown that there will be a divider between the driver/operator of the bus and the areas where the testing will be done. There will be two entrances to the bus so the patients will not have to bump into each other. A plastic divider is also placed between the tester and patient. The OVP assured that the testing will follow the Department of Health’s (DOH) health protocols—air and ventilation, physical distancing, and wearing of face masks and face shields. Robredo explained the procedure of the swab testing, which will begin in the pilot area of Malabon City tomorrow (March 30).
