11-year-old Indonesian girl dies after contracting COVID-19

JAKARTA - An 11-year-old girl has become Indonesia's youngest person to die after contracting the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, as the country's death toll from COVID-19 nearly tripled from a week ago. 

The girl, who was also suffering from dengue fever, was admitted to hospital on Madura Island off the coast of Java on March 19.

She had a fever and breathing difficulties, and died the following day.

Tests only confirmed this week that the girl also had COVID-19. 

"Her immune system was quite poor," said Joni Wahyuhadi, an official at East Java's virus task force.

"She was battling two illnesses at once so that's why her condition worsened." 

Indonesia said Wednesday its death toll from COVID-19 had reached 157 -- including 11 frontline doctors -- compared with 58 a week ago. 

Infections have more than doubled over the same period to 1,677. 

But rates of testing are low and experts fear the true figures are far higher in the country of more than 260 million people.

While the virus is most dangerous for the elderly, there have been a number of cases around the world of younger people dying.

Agence France-Presse

16-year-old among France's dead in highest daily toll

PARIS - The mother of France's youngest coronavirus victim has spoken of the "unbearable" loss of her 16-year-old daughter, as the country reported its highest daily toll from the pandemic.

French authorities said on Thursday that 365 people had been killed by COVID-19 over the previous 24 hours, taking the national total of those who have died in hospital to 1,696.

The figure does not include those who died from the virus at home or at retirement homes, top French health official Jerome Salomon told reporters.

The teenage girl named Julie A died in Paris, becoming the youngest French victim of the disease that more often afflicts the elderly or people with underlying health conditions.

"It's unbearable," the girl's mother Sabine told AFP by phone from her home in the Parisian suburbs. "We were meant to have an ordinary life."

A week ago, Julie developed a mild cough but on Saturday she began to feel short of breath, her mother said.

She underwent scans in hospital and several tests for COVID-19, the disease first detected in China late last year that has now killed more than 23,000 worldwide.

Her condition deteriorated and her death was announced on Thursday, with health officials emphasizing that severe cases are very rare in young people.

"From the start, we were told that the virus doesn't affect young people. We believed it, like everyone else," Sabine said. Her daughter had no known underlying health problems.

TRAIN EVACUATION

France has been in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of the epidemic and officials have repeatedly warned it will take time for the measures to bear fruit.

Salomon said 29,155 people had tested positive for the virus so far nationwide -- adding that the real number of cases was likely far higher as testing was reserved for high-risk patients.

He said 3,375 patients were currently in intensive care out of nearly 14,000 people hospitalized after becoming infected.

Data showed 42,000 people had been registered by their GP as having the coronavirus over the last week alone, Salomon added -- again revealing that testing in France has only revealed a minority of cases.

People in the country are only allowed to step outside for pressing matters, such as shopping.

"It is very difficult to estimate when the peak will come... people who are ill now were infected before the confinement began," explained Salomon.

"Now there is less contact, people are going out less and get infected less. So we hope there will be fewer people getting sick next week," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had held a "very good discussion" with his US counterpart Donald Trump about the pandemic.

"In response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are preparing with other countries a new strong initiative in the coming days," he tweeted early Friday, without elaborating.

The first train evacuation saw 20 coronavirus patients moved from the country's hard-hit east to help relieve overstretched hospitals.

The specially adapted high-speed train, whose carriages were transformed into intensive care units, took the group to the western Atlantic coast where they will be treated.

Another evacuation is planned for Friday, this time by air.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Best seat in the house

A child observes from a window as devotees pass by Palanca Street during the parade of Black Nazarene replicas on Tuesday. Devotees take part in the parade in preparation for the annual Traslacion feast on January 9.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Texas investigates migrant child's death after US detention

MIAMI, United States - Texas officials are investigating the reported death of a migrant child who had been held recently at a US detention center under allegedly "unsanitary conditions."

State health and human services officials told AFP they had opened an investigation into the allegations, which first surfaced earlier this month.

The probe began Thursday after representatives for the family shared the child's name -- which remains confidential -- to the authorities.

The mother's attorneys said they disclosed information about "a small child who tragically died after being detained by (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE) in unsanitary conditions."

"We currently are assessing the case and have no further comments," the Arnold & Porter law firm added in a statement. 

ICE said it was cooperating with the investigation.

Neither authorities nor attorneys provided details such as the child's gender, nationality or cause of death. 

The firm only indicated that the child had been detained at a facility in Dilley, southern Texas -- one of three ICE centers that house families. 

Controversy over the rumored death erupted this week after The Dallas Morning News first reported the allegations on August 1.

Family centers house children only if they are part of a family unit.

In July, the three detention centers of this type held a total of 1,437 detainees. The total number of immigrants detained in all ICE facilities in the United States amounted to 44,210 on July 16.

A "zero tolerance" policy implemented earlier this year by President Donald Trump's administration, and since reversed, greatly increased arrests on the US-Mexico border.

It caused at one point more than 2,300 children to be detained without their parents, who were prosecuted for crossing the border even if they did so to seek asylum. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Can you afford a baby?

MANILA, Philippines - A baby’s arrival into a family is always marked by great changes. The peace and quiet that once reigned in the home is suddenly disrupted by the baby’s laughter and cries; new furniture, toys and accessories are suddenly strewn everywhere in the house; mealtimes now include milk and cereal; and just about everything will begin to revolve around the new family member.

As a member of your family, your baby will be part of everything you do—from grocery visits to holiday vacations—and will influence every facet of your life, including your career, business, and even your choice of home and car. Expectedly, there will be both big expenses such as tuition fees, child care, and health care costs, as well as many small ones like purchases of toys, entertainment, clothes, and gifts, to name a few.

Needless to say, a baby’s arrival has lifelong financial implications that parents should prepare for, starting from childbirth all the way to adulthood. If you are planning to have a baby soon, or have recently had a new one, expect to make adjustments to your lifestyle and finances.

Here are some areas you need to look at closely to make sure no surprises for your budget:

Your date with the stork.

Your first major expense will be the cost of childbirth. Find out how much your chosen obstetrician will charge in professional fees so that you can set aside funds for this. Many hospitals offer a package that includes the doctors’ fees, hospitalization charges, regular check-ups, and other related fees. Compare and choose from among your options to come up with something that works best for you. If you have medical insurance, find out if this is covered. Check out and update your Philhealth coverage as well.

Time off to nurture.
When the mother gives birth, she will have to take a break from work. Philippine law provides for 60 calendar days off for a normal pregnancy and 75 calendar days off for birth by caesarian section. For some working mothers, this disruption might mean less or no income, so take this into consideration when planning your cash flow.

If you are working, check out your benefits and fill up forms that you might have to attend to in advance. Some companies give paid maternity leaves, and SSS also gives a maternity benefit. Fathers, on the other hand, are entitled to a paternity leave under the law. If you are employed, be aware that realistically, you will probably be taking some days off from work every so often to attend to unforeseen needs of the baby, which will be heaviest in the first 2 years of life.

If you used to make a good sum from doing overtime work, also expect that realistically, you may not be able to render as many hours in overtime work while your baby is very young.

Cost of Child care.

When the baby is born and when he is still young, you will need to make arrangements for his full-time care. Some mothers leave the work force to become a full-time stay-at-home mom, either permanently or for a short period. Alternatively, many working mothers employ the services of a full-time nanny (yaya). Others ask relatives to care for their children, while others leave their children at a day care center.

Work out an arrangement that is most suited for your circumstances. Whichever alternative you choose, expect child care costs to account for a major portion of your baby-related expenses.

Health is wealth (and expensive).

A new baby means many visits to the pediatricians. If you are lucky, these visits will just be for the administration of routine vaccinations. However, most children go through many illnesses in early childhood–respiratory tract infections, viral illness, diarrhea—that will require you to make a quick trip to the doctor. If you are employed and have health insurance or coverage from a health maintenance organization (HMO), find out if your baby may also be covered. Learn about the procedures to avail of these services.

Protect your future.

Now that you have a baby, you will have to think of ways to manage life’s uncertainties, like how to provide for your family’s needs in the unfortunate event that you pass away early or get disabled. This may be an opportune time to consider taking out a life insurance policy which is always cheaper to purchase when you are younger.

Invest in education (yes, this early!).

It is never too early to prepare for your baby’s education. At around 4, he will begin to attend preschool, and will continue to be in school for the next 15 years or so. Needless to say, the cost of education will account for a substantial part of the family’s budget, so it is something that you should begin to anticipate and plan for as early as you can.

Since the arrival of the baby heralds major changes in your life, it may be time to think about your life plans. Think of your life goals, the timetable with which you want to achieve these, and set up a financial plan to make this possible, taking into consideration the needs and wants of your now expanded family.

In the meantime, enjoy your bundle your joy!

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com