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• PH Covid-19 cases breach 8,000 in a single day
• LGUs, police urged to strictly enforce ban on mass gatherings
• Only Apor may fly in, out of NCR+ ‘bubble’
• Regions given until March 24 to use up AZ vaccine allocations
• Covid-19 cases in BJMP facilities exceed 3,700
• AFP camp on lockdown, PNP camp restricted
• Philippines protests Chinese maritime militia ships in WPS

PH Covid-19 cases breach 8,000 in a single day Posted: 22 Mar 2021 01:59 AM PDT CORONAVIRUS infections in the Philippines breached 8,000 on Monday, March 22, 2021, the first day of the implementation of mobility restrictions in the National Capital Region (NCR) and four neighboring provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal. The healthcare utilization rate in the NCR, where around half of the new cases originated, also continued to increase correspondingly, with St. Luke's Medical Center issuing an advisory that the Covid-19 ward and intensive care unit (ICU) beds in both its facilities in Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City were already full as of 11 a.m. Monday. At the UP Philippine General Hospital, the number of Covid-19 admissions further increased to 176 on March 21 from 155 a week ago on March 15. There was also one probable Covid-19 case admission as of Sunday. In its 4 p.m. case bulletin on Monday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 8,019 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), a new record high for the Philippines since the pandemic began. These were higher than the 7,999 cases on March 20, 2021 and last year's peak of 6,958 on August 10, 2020. The new cases brought the cumulative case count to 671,792 and the active cases in hospitals and isolation facilities to 80,970, which constitute 12.1 percent of the total. There were four additional mortalities, which raised the Covid-19 death toll to 12,972. Given the low number of deaths and steep increase in new cases, the case fatality rate further decreased to 1.93 percent. There were 103 new recoveries, pushing the total to 577,850, or 86 percent of the total case count. The daily positivity rate remained high at 14.9 percent, which means more than one in seven people were infected. Of the 30,637 samples tested as of noon of March 21, 4,571 yielded positive results. Based on the DOH tracker, the number of hospitals in the NCR that have reached critical level in terms of healthcare utilization rates has increased to 30 as of March 21. These hospitals have a Covid-19 occupancy rate of more than 85 percent. There were 22 hospitals at high risk and 10 which were at moderate risk while 88 were still in the safe zone. Of the 802 ICU beds for Covid-19 patients in the NCR on March 21, 564 or 70 percent were occupied. More than 56 percent of the 4,289 isolation beds and around 47 percent of the 3,116 ward beds were also occupied. Of the 845 mechanical ventilators set aside for Covid-19 patients in the NCR, 390 or 46 percent were in use. The NCR, which has the second biggest population among the regions, has consistently posted the highest number of Covid-19 cases. In the last 14 days to March 21, NCR had 32,634 cases, followed by Calabarzon with 9,055 and Central Luzon with 5,336. Central Visayas, which used to occupy the second spot after NCR, was overtaken first by Calabarzon and, on Sunday, by Central Luzon. Central Visayas had 4,778 new cases in the last 14 days. Cagayan Valley had the fifth highest 14-day running total of new cases at 1,897. Among the cities and provinces, Quezon City had the highest 14-day running total of new cases at 6,495 as of March 21, followed by Manila with 5,073, Bulacan with 3,225, Cavite with 3,178 and Pasay City with 3,069. Quezon City is also the biggest city in the country in terms of population. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

LGUs, police urged to strictly enforce ban on mass gatherings Posted: 22 Mar 2021 12:47 AM PDT THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday, March 22, 2021, called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) and local government units (LGUs) down to the barangays to strictly implement health protocols, especially the prohibition on mass gatherings in the National Capital Region plus (NCR+) area. "Kailangan nating maghigpit dahil tumaas na naman ang mga Covid-19 cases. Mass gatherings put the people, their families and communities at risk of contracting the virus. They can become super-spreader events. We therefore need everyone's cooperation on the measures that the government is imposing to prevent the spread of the virus," DILG officer-in-charge Bernardo Florece said in a statement. "LGUs should immediately deploy their Covid19 marshalls, Barangay Disiplina Brigades, barangay tanods and other force multipliers to enforce the prohibition against mass gatherings... Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) should monitor the compliance with the prohibition in households within their jurisdiction," he added. Florece asked the public to report incidents of mass gatherings in their barangays to the BHERTs and the police so that these can be acted on immediately. In a bid to stop the further spread of the virus, the government on Sunday, March 21, created a "bubble" in NCR+, which refers to the NCR and the provinces of Rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan. The four provinces were placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) until April 4, 2021. Only essential workers and travelers will be allowed to get in and out of the bubble until April 4. The PNP was tasked to conduct checkpoints in the boundaries of each provinces to prevent the entry and exit of non-essential workers, and to strictly enforce the uniform curfew of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., which was earlier set by the Metro Manila Council and extended to cover the four provinces by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana said police will inspect each vehicle at the checkpoints. Violators are issued tickets while people engaged in non-essential trips are asked to return home. All mass gatherings, including religious gatherings, are strictly prohibited in NCR+, and the conduct of face-to-face meetings is discouraged. The holding of weddings, baptisms and funeral services shall be limited to 10 persons only. Around 10,000 policemen were deployed in the streets of Metro Manila to enforce GCQ prohibitions, which also include the prohibition on dine-in services. The IATF only allows delivery and takeout as well as outdoor or al fresco dining with only 50 percent of the venue capacity as well as the provision of dividers on the tables. The DILG asked for cooperation and discipline among Filipinos amid another spike in Covid-19 cases. (SunStar Philippines) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Only Apor may fly in, out of NCR+ ‘bubble’ Posted: 22 Mar 2021 12:29 AM PDT THE Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on Monday, March 22, 2021, said only authorized persons outside residence (Apor) are allowed to fly in and out of the NCR+ "bubble" in the next two weeks. Considered as Apor are: • Essential workers provided they can present a valid work ID • Health and emergency frontline services personnel • Government officials and government frontline personnel • Duly authorized humanitarian assistance actors • Persons traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons • Persons going to travel abroad • Anyone crossing areas for work or business and going back home • Returning overseas Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers "All air carriers are thus reminded to ensure that departing, arriving, or transiting passengers from the said subject areas are traveling for non-leisure purposes," the CAB said in an advisory Monday. The government has restricted mobility in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the neighboring provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal to stem the rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases. The area, referred to as NCR+, has been placed in a Covid-19 "bubble" from March 22 to April 4, 2021. Only Apor will be allowed to move about, and enter or exit the area. The rest of the population are urged to stay at home, especially those outside the 18 to 65 age group and people with immunodeficiency or comorbidities. The four provinces, which were under modified general community quarantine for March, were placed under the more restrictive general community quarantine (GCQ). (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Regions given until March 24 to use up AZ vaccine allocations Posted: 21 Mar 2021 11:54 PM PDT HEALTH facilities in the regions have been given until March 24, 2021 to use up the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines delivered to them, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday, March 22, 2021. Any excess would be reverted to the DOH central office and redeployed to areas with a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, such as the National Capital Region plus (NCR+). NCR+ refers to NCR or Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Bulacan in Central Luzon, and Cavite, Laguna and Rizal in Calabarzon, which account for more than half of the new cases in the country. The area has been placed in a partial Covid-19 "bubble" in an attempt to stem the rise in cases. In a virtual press briefing Monday, Vergeire said March 24 is the latest deadline given to hospitals and other health facilities with AZ vaccines. She did not indicate the first deadline, but said the vaccinations should have been completed by then. "So nagbigay tayo ulit ng deadline. Ang sabi natin, 'kailangan mangyari na 'yan by March 24. Kung hindi, kung hindi n'yo pa magagamit, kukunin muna natin para mabakunahan natin 'yung iba pang hindi nababakunahan dito sa mga matataas na kaso dito sa bang areas," Vergeire said. (We have set another deadline and told them that if they couldn't use up the vaccines by March 24, we are going to redistribute the vaccines to areas with a high number of cases.) She said implementing offices must understand that the AZ vaccine has a short shelf life. "They have to do this expeditiously, especially now that the cases are rising at ang panlaban ng ating mga healthcare workers dito sa sakit na ito," Vergeire added. She assured that any stocks that would be redistributed would be returned to the health facilities concerned when additional vaccines arrive. The World Health Organization (WHO) had warned that failure to use up the AZ vaccines would put the second tranche of vaccines from the Covax facility at risk. A total of 525,600 doses of the AZ vaccine, donated through the Covax facility, were delivered to the Philippines on March 4 and 7. These will expire in three months, or by end-May 2021. Instead of setting aside half of the shipment to be used for the second dose, the DOH recommended on March 15 that all 525,600 shots be used as first dose. President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation. This will not only provide partial protection to more healthcare workers, but also ensure that the vaccines are used before the expiry date and the second tranche of Covax vaccines would be delivered. The Philippines is also vaccinating some healthcare workers with the Sinovac vaccine, or CoronaVac, donated by China. Since the CoronaVac has a longer shelf life than the AZ vaccines, half of the 600,000 doses sent by China on February 28 have been set aside for the second dose. The government expects delivery in early April at the latest of an additional donation of 400,000 doses from China as well as one million doses procured from Sinovac. As of March 15, nearlyl 216,000 individuals have been vaccinated in the Philippines, which is not even one percent of the target of 24.7 million individuals under Priority Group A, including 1.76 million healthcare workers. For 2021, the government targets to vaccinate a total of 70 million citizens. Both the CoronaVac and AZ vaccine are administered in two doses. The second dose is given 28 days after the first dose for the CoronaVac, and four to 12 weeks for the AZ vaccine. The DOH has recommended that the second dose of the AZ vaccine be given on the 12th week. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Covid-19 cases in BJMP facilities exceed 3,700 Posted: 21 Mar 2021 11:04 PM PDT OVER 2,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) despite the stringent measures being implemented in prisons, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) spokesperson Xavier Solda said. As of Friday, March 19, 2021, 2,416 PDLs and 1,295 BJMP personnel have been infected. Solda said 26 PDLs and six BJMP personnel died from Covid-19 while 2,216 and 1,237, respectively, recovered. Solda said there were 115 active Covid cases among PDLs. They are in the isolation facilities of the BJMP and are under strict monitoring of its health service. He noted that those PDLs who succumbed to the virus had pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. "Patuloy ang expansion sa ating mga health and isolation facilities para matugunan ang pangangailangan ng ating mga PDLs lalo na ngayon panahon ng pandemya," said Solda in a telephone interview. Solda said among the preventive measures they are imposing to avoid the further spread of the virus is the "no contact visitation" which has been in effect since March 2020, the monthly change of personnel assigned inside BJMP facilities and have direct contact to the PDLs, the mandatory wearing of face masks among PDLs and personnel, and the 14-day isolation of newly committed PDLs with or without Covid-19 symptoms. He said they were expanding and developing their facilities in order to sustain electronic visitations that allow PDLs to talk to their loved ones through phone calls or video calls. "Ang ating electronic dalaw ay scheduled at supervised by our personnel para organized at mabigyan lahat ng chance na makausap ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay," Solda said. "Pinapayagan din naman po ang mga paabot or 'yung pagpapadala sa ating mga PDLs ngunit ito po ay kailangan munang sumailalim sa masinsinang sanitation para siguraduhin na malinis at walang virus ang mga padala at gayun din at inspection para siguraduhin na walang illegal na kontrabando sa package," he added. Solda said the personnel in charge of each facility are being changed every month which means a personnel assigned to deal directly with PDLs are contained inside the facility for a month. "Pag naka-duty ka sa loob hindi ka pwede lumabas para maiwasan na baka sa kanila pa makuha ang virus. Hinati kasi natin yan every month may team loob at team labas. Monthly ang palitan nila at bago ang bawat palitan 'yung mga personnel na du-duty sa loob kailangan mag negative muna sa swab," he said. There are a total of 117,027 PDLs in 470 BJMP facilities in the country. Meanwhile, in the Philippine National Police (PNP), a total of 13,147 police personnel have contracted the virus that causes Covid-19 as of March 21. Of the total, 1,399 were active cases: 340 were inside Camp Crame, 509 in the National Capital Region Police Office and 550 in police regional offices. The PNP said 48 of the active cases were in hospitals while 1,352, including PNP Chief Debold Sinas, who were asymptomatic were in quarantine facilities. The number of fatalities in the PNP due to Covid-19 has increased to 36. The latest fatality was a 54 year-old pregnant officer assigned at the Eastern Police District. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, PNP officer-in-charge, said 2,266 police medical workers nationwide have received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Of the total, 1,773 were vaccinated with Coronavac while 493 received Astrazeneca shots. (SunStar Philippines) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

AFP camp on lockdown, PNP camp restricted Posted: 21 Mar 2021 09:48 PM PDT THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City was placed on lockdown on Sunday, March 21, 2021, as part of efforts to curb the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country. AFP spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said those going in and out of the military camp are required to present a mission or travel order, and undergo triage. The lockdown will be in effect "until further notice." Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) national headquarters in Camp Crame, also in Quezon City, was restricted to visitors. Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, PNP officer-in-charge, said they have adopted a modified work arrangement, including work-from-home for the non-uniformed personnel. "All heads of offices at NHQ were already directed to start conducting assessment on how to implement this modified work arrangement without compromising their respective offices' administrative works and outputs," he said in a statement. "But I would like to clarify that these new measures will only be for our personnel assigned to the NHQ. Our regional offices, particularly the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), are given the discretion, through their respective Administrative Support for Covid-19 Task Forces (ASCOTF), to decide on whether or not they would implement the same," he added. Eleazar said mandatory or specialized courses and training in the National Police Training Institute and those supervised by the PNP Training Service were suspended until March 30. But he has approved blended learning, face-to-face and virtual classes, with the strict observance of health precautionary measures at the PNP Academy and at the National Police College. Frontline services such as police clearance, renewing permits and other transactions will continue at a limited capacity while the PNP Retirement and Benefits Administration Service, which caters mostly to senior citizens, is suspended. The Central Processing Assistance Area will be transferred to a site adjacent to the entrance gate of the Transformation Oval to limit the movement of clients inside Camp Crame and ensure the availability of parking spaces. Eleazar again called on all police units nationwide to strictly observe the minimum health safety standards, particularly the wearing of face mask and face shield even inside workplaces at all times. He said red teams were conducting inspection to ensure that police personnel were following health protocols. As of March 21, there were 1,399 active Covid-19 cases in the PNP, of which 340 were inside Camp Crame while 509 were in the National Capital Region Police Office. (SunStar Philippines) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Philippines protests Chinese maritime militia ships in WPS Posted: 21 Mar 2021 08:12 PM PDT (UPDATED) Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he has filed a diplomatic protest with China over the presence of around 220 Chinese vessels believed to be manned by maritime militia in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). "Diplomatic protest fired off tonight; can't wait for first light," Locsin said in a Twitter post Sunday night, March 21, 2021. Locsin filed the protest after the National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) confirmed that the Chinese vessels were sighted in line formation at the Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) on March 7. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Cirilito Sobejana said the Chinese vessels were still moored at the Julian Felipe Reef as of Monday, March 22. "Nandoon pa. Binibilang naming mabuti...'Yung air assets natin nandoon sa area," said Sobejana. (They're still there. Our air assets are also in the area. We are counting them carefully.) In another statement, AFP spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said the military will oppose any acts of incursions or encroachment in the country's sovereign territory. "Our mandate includes ensuring that our fisher folks and our kababayan can freely take advantage of our maritime resources and conduct their livelihood in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone)," he said. In a statement, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana urged China to recall the boats and described the incident as a "clear provocative action of militarizing the area." "We view with grave concern the presence of 220 Chinese militia boats in the Julian Felipe Reef (Union Reef) in the West Philippine Sea. This is a clear provocative action of militarizing the area. These are territories well within Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf (CS) where Filipinos have the sole right to resources under international law and the 2016 arbitral ruling," Lorenzana said in a statement on Sunday evening, March 21. "We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory. We are committed to uphold our sovereign rights over the WPS," he added. Former DFA secretary Albert del Rosario said the government should summon China's ambassador to the Philippines over the presence of the Chinese vessels as well as consult security partners like the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. "Given the gravity of this development, we should consider summoning the Chinese ambassador in the Philippines to ask why we should not consider this Chinese action at Julian Felipe Reef to be an act of unilateral aggression against the territorial integrity of our country," Del Rosario said in a statement. The Julian Felipe Reef is a large boomerang shaped shallow coral reef at the northeast of Pagkakaisa Banks and Reefs (Union Reefs), located approximately 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan. It is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf (CS), over which the country enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources which encompass both living resources, such as fish, and non-living resources such as oil and natural gas. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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