News Roundup 31 August 2021
Aug 31, 2021 • 5 min Read
Philippines’ COVID-19 count nears 2 million with 13,827 new cases by end-August | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines ended August with 13,827 more coronavirus cases, its total count nearing two million and the World Health Organization saying the Delta variant is now dominant in the country. Newly reported figures pushed the country’s overall caseload to 1,989,857. Active cases were also down by 3,032 from the 148,594 on August 30. The Department of Health said eight laboratories did not submit test results.
- Active cases: 145,562 or 7.3% of the total
- Recoveries: 16,759, bringing the number to 1,810,847
- Deaths: 118, or now 33,448 in total
WHO looking into whether Philippines’ face-shield policy works | PHILSTAR.COM – The World Health Organization on Tuesday said it is looking into the experience of Filipinos in using face shields as protection against COVID-19. The Philippines is one of the few countries that advocate the use of face shields in addition to face masks, Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines, said. “The face shields are being used to reduce the likelihood of infection through the eyes. That’s not actually an additional layer although it boosts the protection provided by poor mask-wearing practices,” Abeyasinghe said. In a separate statement issued by the DOH, the WHO official said: “face shields may reduce the likelihood of infection through protection of the eyes and provide an additional layer of protection for those who are not wearing their masks properly.” He said that while the country was able to “sort of delay the speed at which the Delta variant is spreading, we don’t know if face shields are a contributory factor.” “So while we are understanding all of these issues, it’s best to look for evidence and make our decisions based on that.” In December 2020, the government began requiring individuals to wear face shields on top of face masks whenever they leave their homes. Officials have faced calls to ditch the use of face shields but they have insisted the plastic coverings provide addition protection against COVID-19. Some senators expressed suspicion that some officials may be making money from the sale of face shields. In its report, the Commission on Audit found that the government procured face shields priced at P120 each.
Hospital ‘heroes’ protest: We’ve lost trust in DOH | INQUIRER.NET – As Filipinos celebrated them as modern-day heroes, medical workers protested outside their hospital duty hours on National Heroes’ Day on Monday, setting the scene for bigger rallies that may include walk-outs or mass resignations until the government releases their long overdue salaries and benefits. Hospital unions also called for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III amid a surge in COVID-19 infections because “we’ve already lost our trust in the people running the (Department of Health),” Jao Clumia, president of the workers’ union at the private St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, told the Inquirer. Clumia said the unions did not allow their members to leave their posts so as not to disrupt hospital operations, and only those who were off their duty shift joined the rallies. Aside from St. Luke’s, other health workers—some of them wearing hospital protective suits—also protested at different times of the day at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and at Calamba Medical Center in Laguna province. Public health workers at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute and at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila shared the call of their colleagues in the private sector and joined protest actions also on Monday. “We will fight for what’s rightfully ours,” said Jaymee de Guzman, a nurse at the San Lazaro Hospital and an officer of Filipino Nurses United (FNU). FNU and another group, the Alliance of Health Workers, earlier gave the government until Sept. 1 to release their special risk allowances (SRA), subsidies for meals, accommodation and transportation as well as the active hazard duty pay that went as far back as September 2020.
Gordon says probe into overpriced PPEs may reach Duterte | Manila Bulletin – Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Richard Gordon said the Upper Chamber’s investigation into the overpriced personal protective equipment (PPEs) may go as high as President Duterte. Gordon said there is a possibility that the Senate’s probe into the questionable transfer of P42-billions worth of COVID-19 pandemic response funds from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (DBM-PS) may reach Duterte, though he is still not being invited yet to attend the Senate’s probe. The panel is currently looking into the DBM-PS’s P8.7-billion contract with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. whose owner allegedly has close ties with the President, for the procurement of face masks and face shields. The contract was awarded to the obscure company by former undersecretary Christopher Lao who served as Duterte’s volunteer election lawyer in 2016. “Yes, and that’s why the President siguro reacted. Wala pa naman kaming subpoena, hindi pa naman naming siya iniimbita pa. Nag-react siguro siya doon (We have not yet issued any subpoena, we are not yet inviting him. I think he reacted to that),” Gordon said in a virtual press conference. Gordon said they will still scrutinize a picture and footage of the President with Pharmally officials, together with the heads of government agencies, including DOH. Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, and a know ally of Duterte, and Yang, former presidential economic adviser, was also present in the meeting. According to Gordon, the President should answer why he did not reprimand the officials involved in the transaction.
