Friday, November 13, 2020

Crowded shelters might cause COVID surge - DOH

MUD - SOAKED MASSES. Typhoon evacuees return to their homes on Friday to retrieve belongings that might still be of use in Baranggay San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal province, one of the areas hardest hit by Typhoon "Ulysses." - RICHARD A. REYES

News

Citing PH medal haul, Sotto nixes probe of SEA Games deal

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Friday thumbed down Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ call for a full-blown investigation of alleged irregularities in the construction of sports facilities for the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which was hosted by the Philippines.

The Senate leader echoed the sentiments of Sen. Pia Cayetano who took offense at Hontiveros’ privilege speech on Tuesday, characterizing it as a smear on the honor brought by Filipino athletes who took part in the regional sports meet. STORY BY DJ YAP

Regions

Threat of new lockdown looms in Cebu City

CEBU CITY—Officials here were mulling over placing this city under another strict lockdown if new cases of the coronavirus disease continues to rise in the coming weeks. Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of Cebu City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said they found it worrisome that the number of the daily virus cases in the city had been increasing again.—STORY BY ADOR VINCENT MAYOL

Lifestyle

How I learned to manage my own time

Every student experiences stress over academics. If we ask ourselves what the source of this stress is, the answer is clear: pressure. —STORY BY MARY ANGELINE FAUSTINO

To Be You

A student athlete’s quarantine survival guide

Everyone is facing difficulty adjusting to life in quarantine, but even more for student-athletes like me. Being in isolation for so long has immensely challenged me.—STORY BY DANI SANTOS

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Crowded shelters might cause COVID surge - DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) warned of a “very strong possibility” of local COVID-19 cases rising further due to the overcrowding in evacuation centers following the recent onslaught of Typhoon "Ulysses."

At a press briefing on Friday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the designated ''safety officers [at the evacuation centers] should keep a close watch” and implement DOH instructions to make sure evacuees follow minimum health measures for COVID-19 prevention.

These include wearing protective masks, observing physical distancing and washing hands frequently.

Duque noted that evacuees are usually allowed to return to their homes after once the storm had moved away from the country.

In school buildings and campus facilities being used as evacuation sites, it is advisable to have just one family per classroom or tent, he said.

The shelters should also be well-ventilated and should have a separate room for high-risk individuals, he said.

In a separate briefing on Friday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also issued a reminder to "Ulysses" evacuees.

“We should wear our face masks at all times,'' she said. "We know it is very difficult to do in situations such as this, but we have to do it. It is through this that we can help prevent being infected.” Local governments should help ensure that the evacuees are adequate supplied with face masks, adding that wet surgical or cloth masks should be replaced with medical-grade masks since they are no longer considered effective against the coronavirus.

Latest data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) show that a total of 40,518 families, or 156,995 people, have been affected by Ulysses in 648 villages in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Bicol regions.

Of those numbers, 18,818 families or 70,294 persons were staying in 755 evacuation centers as of Friday.

Ulysses was the 21st storm to hit the country, according to the state weather service, which said three more storms might hit the country before yearend.

Additional cases

On Friday, the DOH recorded an additional 1,902 COVID-19 cases in the country, pushing the national tally to 404,713.

Cavite reported the most number of new infections, 122, followed by Davao City (113), Quezon City (84), Bulacan (81) and Manila (78).

Of the 29 laboratories that failed to submit their data to the DOH on time, 22 were "affected by the typhoon."

An additional 506 patients recovered, raising the total number of survivors to 362,903.

The death toll, however, rose to 7,752 as 31 patients succumbed to the severe respiratory disease.

The recoveries and deaths left the country with 34,058 active cases, of which 83.9 percent are mild, 9.4 percent asymptomatic, 0.12 percent moderate, 2.3 percent severe and 4.3 percent critical.

Apart from COVID-19, the DSWD and the DOH are also on guard against the outbreak of other illnesses such as leptospirosis, acute gastroenteritis, diarrhea and acute dermatitis.

Vergeire urged local officials to ensure the supply of clean water to keep communities safe from these water-borne diseases. IN

Editorial

'Worse than Ondoy'

In a year of one landmark crisis after another, typhoon season in the Philippines in 2020 bids fair to be as hard and unprecedented. Seven weather disturbances have affected the country in only a month, three of which developed into severe storms with catastrophic results on the population. 'Ulysses,' the latest monster storm, killed at least 14, displaced more than 170,000 people, and caused massive floods that brought back memories of “Ondoy” from 11 years ago. Residents of Marikina, which along with Rizal bore the brunt of the flooding, said "Ulysses" is an experience 'worse than Ondoy'—because this time they also had to worry about the COVID-19 pandemic that could break out in evacuation centers.

The country is facing immense, extraordinary emergencies on multiple fronts, from COVID-19 to a record economic slump that has seen millions lose their jobs. But there is simply no room for 'donor fatigue' at this hour of great need; every bit of assistance from everyone will count. Let us help through these donation drives: University of the Philippines (GCash/PayMaya 09278692946; NowheretogobutUP Foundation Inc: BPI Account No. 0993-0113039); ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya (ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc.: BDO 0039302-14711; BPI 4221-0000-27); Caritas Manila, Inc. (BDO 000-5600-45905; Metrobank 175-3-17506954-3; BPI 3063-5357-01; RCBC 000-300-090-2216); and the Philippine Daily Inquirer's own relief drive (Inquirer Foundation Corp. BDO 007960018860, email foundation@inquirer.com.ph).

Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net