News Roundup 31 December 2021
Dec 31, 2021 • 3 min Read
Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila from January 3 as cases rise, Omicron raises risk | PHILSTAR.COM – Metro Manila will go to the more strict Alert Level 3 from January 3 to January 15, 2022, the Palace said Friday evening. The heightened alert level is in response to an increase in cases of COVID-19 and the detection of three local cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the Philippines. “The epidemiological investigation on the three local cases indicate there is high possibility of local transmission ng Omicron,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who is also acting presidential spokesperson, told media. The Palace initially said the entire Philippines would be under Alert Level 2 until January 15. The Department of Health, however, tallied 2,961 new COVID-19 cases on the last day of the year. The announcement of heightened restrictions in the capital came a few hours later. “In the coming days, we may see an increase in active cases,” Nograles also said.
Philippines ends another pandemic year with 2,961 new cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on New Year’s Eve recorded nearly 3,000 new COVID-19 cases, the highest since November 1, as the country braces for the impact of the fast spreading Omicron variant. The Department of Health reported Friday 2,961 new infections, raising the number of active cases to 14,233. Of the new cases, 99% occurred from December 18 to 31, the DOH said. Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon were the regions with the most cases in the recent two weeks. The positivity rate was at 10.3%, surpassing the positivity rate of less than 5% recommended by the World Health Organization. A total of 30,526 tests were conducted on Wednesday. The DOH also logged 132 new fatalities, bringing the total number of COVID-related deaths to 51,504. Since the pandemic began in 2020, the Philippines has registered 2,843,979 cases. Of the total, 97.7% have recovered. The Philippines is seeing a renewed increase in infections and preparing for the spread of the Omicron variant, which is threatening health systems overseas and forcing governments to reimpose curbs.
2 linemen hurt while trying to restore power in Negros Occidental | INQUIRER.NET – Two electric cooperative linemen working to restore power in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental were injured when a concrete electric post they were on fell on Wednesday, Dec. 29. Gaspel Reyes, 25, and a resident of Bago City, Negros Occidental, was injured in the right arm, while Remiel Calapillo, 27, and a resident of Iloilo City, sustained injuries in the right wrist and left shoulder. Both of them are working as linemen of the Iloilo II Electric Cooperative Inc. and were assisting the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative to restore power in Typhoon Odette-hit areas. The Hinigaran Fire Station and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office personnel responded to the fallen concrete electric post-accident. The two linemen were then brought to a Hinigaran medical clinic.
A Filipina balikbayan who ‘evaded’ quarantine protocol, her accomplices may be charged — DOJ | Manila Bulletin – A returning Filipina from the United States and her accomplices may face prosecution for having violated quarantine protocols and infected other persons with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Friday, Dec. 31. “Assuming that reports about the incident are factually correct, and without meaning to prejudge the case, there could have been a major violation of ordinances requiring strict observance, under pain of penalties, of quarantine regulations for international travelers, not only on the part of the person concerned but also of those who might have knowingly cooperated with her in committing such violation,” Guevarra said. “The applicability of RA 11332 (the law on reporting communicable diseases) to violations of this sort has not been tested judicially, so this may be an opportune time to try it,” he said. A post on Twitter went viral for claiming that a “young lady” who supposedly came back recently from the United States evaded quarantine protocol. The alleged quarantine violator supposedly tested positive for the COVID-19 and infected many people after going into a party at a hotel in Makati City. The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced it had started investigating the incident. “The hotel in question is currently being investigated and has been served a Notice to Explain (NTE), directing the establishment to submit its response to the allegations within three days,” the DOT said in a statement.
