Wednesday, June 23, 2021

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

Colombia reaches 100,000 deaths from Covid-19 as cases surge

Posted: 23 Jun 2021 04:20 AM PDT

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia reached 100,000 confirmed deaths from Covid-19 this week, becoming just the tenth country in the world to hit the grim milestone.

The South American nation of 50 million has been registering a growing number of daily cases since April and over the past seven days it had the world's third-highest per capita death rate from Covid-19, according to data published by Oxford University.

On Monday night, President Iván Duque blamed antigovernment protests that began at the end of April for many of the fatalities, saying that "more than 10,000 deaths could have been avoided" if Colombians had not held large gatherings over the past seven weeks.

But epidemiologists in Colombia said it is too soon to tell how much of an impact the protests had on the current surge in Covid-19 deaths.

"The protests definitely played a role" in coronavirus contagion, said Diego Rosselli, a professor of epidemiology at the Javeriana University in Bogota. "But at this moment putting any number on how many deaths they caused is mere speculation."

More than 25,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Colombia since May 1, or about a quarter of those who have died from the disease since the first case of coronavirus was registered in Colombia in March of last year.

Rosselli said more contagious variants of the virus may have contributed to the sharp acceleration in death rates, as has happened in nearby countries like Argentina and Brazil.

Fatigue with sanitary measures – like using facemasks – crowded living arrangements and fewer restrictions on gatherings have also fueled contagion in Colombia and elsewhere in South America. The region makes up just five percent of the world's population but accounts for almost a quarter of all Covid-19 deaths.

In Colombia, the rise in cases comes as the government lifts some of the last restrictions it had put in place to control the spread of the coronavirus and allows nightclubs, bars and cinemas to open for the first time in more than a year.

Cities like Medellin and Bogota are also preparing to hold trade shows and music events that will be attended by thousands of people, while 10,000 people recently attended a soccer match in the coastal city of Barranquilla.

Municipal governments say they have no option but to allow these events in order to regain jobs and help the economy get back on its feet.

Colombia's unemployment rate doubled last year as the government implemented several lockdowns to slow down contagion and the country's GDP shrank by seven percent.

Vaccination sped up in June with up to 350,000 doses administered in one day, but only 10 percent of Colombia's population is fully vaccinated.

Doctors fear that recent decisions to allow more gatherings will increase the number of severely ill patients arriving at hospitals, which are already struggling to cope. In Bogota, Cali and Medellin, more than 95 percent of intensive care beds at hospitals are already occupied.

Paola Cabra, an emergency room doctor in the Samaritana University Hospital in Bogota, said the best thing would be to return to lockdowns to decrease infections.

"But in a country like Colombia you can't do that," Cabra said. "Most people here work independently to make a living and cannot afford to stay home doing nothing."

The hospital's 19 intensive care units for Covid-19 patients have been full for weeks, forcing staff to add respirators and other equipment to ER beds.

"I would like to be wrong," Cabra said. "But it looks like the situation will get worse in the following weeks." (AP)

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Asian Americans lobby to name Navy ship for Filipino sailor

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 10:05 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO — Asians Americans, veterans and civilians in the U.S. and the Philippines are campaigning to name a Navy warship for a Filipino sailor who bravely rescued two crew members when their ship caught fire more than a century ago, earning him a prestigious and rare Medal of Honor.

Supporters say naming a ship for Telesforo Trinidad would honor not just the only Asian American in the U.S. Navy granted the nation's highest award for valor, but the tens of thousands of Filipinos and Americans of Filipino descent who have served in the U.S. Navy since 1901, when the Philippines was a United States territory.

"I don't believe it's a long shot at all; it may be a long timeline, but we're hoping it's not," said retired Navy Capt. Ron Ravelo and chair of the campaign. "We're going to be making Navy ships into the foreseeable future, and there's no reason one of those can't bear the name of Telesforo Trinidad."

Trinidad, who died in 1968 at age 77, was so eager to join the U.S. Navy that he stowed away on a lifeboat from his home island of Panay to the main island to enlist, said grandson Rene Trinidad. In 1915, while on patrol on the USS San Diego, he risked his life and suffered burns to rescue two crewmates when boilers exploded, killing nine. He received the medal that year, at a time when the honor could be awarded for noncombat valor.

Rene Trinidad, a real estate agent in Southern California, recalls his grandfather was a man of few words.

"He let his actions speak for himself," he said, "and I suppose that's why he did what he did."

The campaign has grassroots enthusiasm, and support from Democratic Congress members who sent a letter last month to Thomas Harker, acting secretary of the Navy.

Traditionally, different types of ships have different naming conventions, but there are exceptions, said Samuel J. Cox, retired rear admiral and director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, which suggests names and has previously submitted Trinidad's for consideration. The secretary of the Navy has final authority and discretion to name and rename ships, he said.

Some memorialize states, U.S. cities, Navy heroes or distinguished Americans. The number of Navy ships receiving names varies widely by year but averages roughly to about eight, of which three or four are named for people, Cox said.

"There simply are far too many heroes compared to the number of ships to be named," he said.

Norman Polmar, author and naval analyst, agrees.

"And I hate to say this, I'm getting a little pain when I say this: Increasingly it becomes political — what party you're in and who's in the White House, and occasionally the White House gets involved," Polmar said.

Former U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus drew controversy after naming naval ships for former U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords; the late gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk of San Francisco; and the late farmworker activist Cesar Chavez. The honoring of Giffords broke more modern traditions that the person be dead or old.

Critics also said there were plenty of heroic service members to choose from. Mabus said his picks also demonstrated heroism.

In January 2020, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly named a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier after Doris "Dorie" Miller, an African American enlisted sailor who received the Navy Cross for his actions during Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

The naming did not sit well with critics who say Miller deserves to have a ship named after him, but not an elite aircraft carrier bearing the names of presidents. There's also ongoing debate over ships named for the Civil War Confederacy.

Cecilia Gaerlan, Trinidad campaign board member, said they would like a Navy surface combatant, such as a destroyer or frigate, named for the fireman second class. The naming would be a symbol of the Navy's commitment to "diversity, equality and inclusion during this time of national racial tensions and unwarranted violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders," said Democratic U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs of California, in a May letter to Harker signed by 10 others.

There are other Navy vessels named for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including the USS Daniel Inouye, a destroyer. The former U.S. senator received the Medal of Honor as part of the celebrated 442nd Infantry Regiment, made up of Americans of Japanese descent whose families were incarcerated in camps during World War II.

There was a U.S. Navy a ship named for a Filipino person, but Gaerlan says the USS Rizal, a destroyer in service from 1919 to 1931, was donated by the Philippine Legislature and honors José Rizal, a national hero who never served in the military.

More than two dozen Asian and Pacific Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor since its creation during the Civil War, mostly in the U.S. Army, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. There are roughly 3,500 recipients.

Telesforo Trinidad, born in 1890, enlisted in 1910 in the Insular Force established by then-President William McKinley and served in both world wars. More than 250,000 Filipino soldiers served in World War II, and thousands died during the brutal 1942 Bataan Death March in the Philippines.

Rene Trinidad, 65, said it goes against his cultural upbringing to call attention to his grandfather's heroism, but his late father wanted the recognition for his father, who overcame hardship, merited a medal and worked hard to provide for his family. Two sons followed him into the U.S. Navy.

"The bottom line is that Filipinos be recognized for their contribution to the United States, and that every Filipino should be proud of that as well," he said. (AP)

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ayton soars for last second alley-oop, Suns beat Clippers

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 09:47 PM PDT

PHOENIX — Deandre Ayton jammed an alley-oop pass from Jae Crowder with 0.7 seconds left, giving the Phoenix Suns a thrilling 104-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

The Suns were down one with 0.9 seconds left when Crowder lofted a high pass on an out-of-bounds play on the baseline. A soaring Ayton came down the lane and stuffed it through the net over L.A.'s Ivica Zubac as the crowd roared in disbelief at Phoenix Suns Arena.

The referees spent about a minute reviewing the play before ruling the basket was good. The Clippers couldn't get a shot off in the final 0.7 seconds.

The Suns now have a 2-0 lead in the series heading to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night. The Clippers will be fighting from a 2-0 deficit for the third time in these playoffs after rallying to beat the Mavericks and Jazz in the first two rounds.

The Crowder-to-Ayton connection negated a Clippers rally that was led by Paul George, who had 26 points.

George made a layup with 31 seconds left to give the Clippers a 101-100 lead for their first advantage since early in the third quarter. Suns guard Devin Booker responded with a jumper of his own with 27 seconds left.

George calmly took the ball on the next possession and drilled a long two-pointer for a 103-102 lead.

But there was a lot more action left.

George missed two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining and the Suns had a chance to win, but it looked as if it wouldn't happen when Mikal Bridges missed a corner 3-pointer and the ball was deflected out of bounds.

Instead, it set up Crowder's heave to Ayton, who was dominant in the paint all night.

The Suns have won nine straight in the playoffs, which is a franchise record.

The Suns were led by Cameron Payne, who was brilliant while subbing for All-Star Chris Paul. He finished with a career-high 29 points. Ayton had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Booker added 20 points.

Payne repeatedly carved through the Clippers defense, making tough buckets at the rim with pretty left-handed finishes. He made what looked like a crucial layup with about 90 seconds left, finishing high off the glass to give the Suns a 100-95 lead.

But the gritty Clippers responded and nearly pulled this one out.

It was a tough night for the stars from Game 1 until the final minutes. Booker shot just 5 of 16 from the field and missed part of the third quarter with a bloody nose. George was 10 of 23 from the field and missed his first seven 3-point attempts before his late buckets.

Ayton continued his eye-opening performance in these playoffs. The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 out of Arizona often has been overshadowed by later picks in the same draft like Atlanta's Trae Young and Dallas' Luka Doncic. But he has carved out quite a niche in Phoenix and now has a play that will live in franchise lore.

The Suns were playing without Paul for the second straight game. The 11-time All-Star has been in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocol for the past week and the team isn't sure when he'll return.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed his fourth straight game with a right knee sprain, and he stayed in Los Angeles to get treatment on the injury.

The action was physical from the opening minutes. Referee Scott Foster gave technicals to Suns forward Jae Crowder and Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. after some jawing following a scrum for a loose ball.

The Suns took a 48-47 halftime lead, largely thanks to Payne and Ayton. Payne led all scorers with 16 points before the break, thriving in his role as the fill-in starter for Paul. Ayton added 12 points, punctuated by a soaring alley-oop dunk over Zubac.

BLOODY BOOKER, BEVERELY

Booker took a shot to the nose late in the third after he bumped heads with Patrick Beverley, who was playing tight defense. The Suns guard fell to the floor and was down for a minute before walking back to the locker room with the medical staff with a towel over his nose.

Beverley was also left bloody on the forehead from the exchange and had to leave the game and change jerseys.

A foul was called on Beverley. The referees ruled it was not flagrant. Booker jogged back out onto the court before the fourth quarter to a big roar from the crowd.

TIP-INS

Clippers: Coach Tyronn Lue shook up the starting lineup, using Beverley and Zubac in place of Nicolas Batum and Terance Mann. ... Leonard and forward Serge Ibaka (back surgery) didn't play. ... Morris was dealing with a sore right knee that limited him in Game 1, but he started on Tuesday.

Suns: Paul and forward Abdel Nader (right knee arthroscopy) didn't play. ... The Suns had the same starting lineup for the second straight game, using Payne in Paul's place. (AP)

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

End of Summer Sale ☀️😎

20% OFF Inside!🤯 ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏...