COVID-19 recoveries up by 52; total cases now at 5,878

MANILA — The number of patients who recovered from COVID-19 in the Philippines went up by 52, the Department of Health said Friday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 487.

At the same time, the number of new deaths remained relatively low at 25. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 387 fatalities in the Philippine due to COVID-19.

Since April 15, the total number of recoveries have exceeded the number of fatalities.

Meanwhile, the DOH reported 218 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 5,878.

The DOH said on Thursday that Filipinos should expect the number of recoveries to continue to rise as a number of COVID-19 patients have already been sent home for another 14-day quarantine and are just awaiting a repeat test to show that they are already negative of the disease.

As of Friday, over 2.1 million people have contracted COVID-19 in 185 countries around the world, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 500,000 people have recovered while more than 145,000 have died.

news.abs-cbn.com

TikTok promotes good vibes to beat lockdown blues: official

MANILA - TikTok is encouraging users to promote positivity on the dance video platform during the COVID-19 lockdown, as frontliners in scrub suits go viral, its Philippines head said Thursday.

Users are uploading more videos focused on safety and positivity after the enhanced community quarantine was imposed, said TikTok Philippines' User, Content and Community Operations manager Emmanuel John Castro.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) are among agencies that tapped TikTok to reach a wider audience, he said. 

"We make sure that these videos are shown in the Philippines because these promotes positivity we’ve always been craving for as Filipinos," Castro said.



"We try to promote the right kind of information out there because TikTok has been like a big platform of users for different ages," he said.

Millions in Luzon have turned to social media platforms and the internet for entertainment during the lockdown of Luzon, which was extended until April 30. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Duque says Pimentel violated quarantine protocols

MANILA — Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel violated quarantine protocols when he accompanied his wife to the hospital, the health secretary said Thursday, as he insisted the government does not give out VIP testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 

“Gusto ko rin pong ihayag ang stand ng DOH ukol sa pagpunta ni Senator Pimentel sa Makati Medical Center kahit na siya ay isang PUM (person under monitoring). Kami po ay sumasang-ayon na nagkaroon ng breach sa quarantine protocol at hindi dapat nangyari ito,” said Francisco Duque III during a televised briefing.

(The DOH's stand is, this should not have happened. There was a breach in the quarantine protocol.)

He said the DOH will follow the lead agencies that are assigned to handle violations on the quarantine protocol.

“Ganap tayong makikipagtulungan sa mga aksyon na tatahakin ng mga agencies na ito,” he said.

It could be recalled that on March 11, Senate President Vicente Sotto III ordered a lockdown at the Senate, following a confirmation that one of its resource persons on a March 5 hearing tested positive for COVID-19. Most Senators, including Pimentel, self-quarantined. On March 14, Pimentel had symptoms. By March 18, he had a fever, and took the test two days later. 

Pimentel had not completed the 14-day quarantine set by the DOH when he went to the hospital. 


Duque meanwhile denied rumors that he pulled strings to allow the admission of Pimentel’s wife at the Makati Medical Center, which said on Tuesday that it was already unable to take in more patients due to overcapacity. 

“Ito po ay walang katotohanan. Hindi po ako tumawag sa Makati Medical Center para makiusap na kanilang tanggapin sa kanilang ospital ang asawa ni Senator Pimentel," said Duque.

(There is no truth to those reports. I did not call Makati Medical Center to ask for a room for Senator Pimentel's wife.)

Duque also reiterated that the DOH does not give VIP treatment for COVID-19 testing. 

There are now a total of 707 COVID-19 cases in the country. 

The Philippine government has imposed an enhanced community quarantine on Luzon, suspending public transportation and other services in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

COVID-19 cases in PH swell to over 400, death toll climbs to 33

MANILA — The Philippines' health department reported on Monday the largest number so far of new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a single day at 82, raising the country's total tally to 462.

It also said that 8 more patients succumbed to the disease, bringing the total number of fatalities to 33.

The number of patients who recovered stood at 18.

All the 8 new deaths are male patients, of whom most have pre-existing health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. The youngest is 56 years old and the oldest is 89 years old.

The latest case of recovery, meanwhile, involved a 54-year-old Filipino male from Manila who recently traveled to Thailand and was exposed to a known COVID-19 case.

He was hypertensive, and first experienced symptoms on March 6. He tested positive on March 13, and was discharged on March 21.

Health officials have earlier warned that the number of cases in the country is expected to spike in the coming days as more tests are being conducted on probable patients.

Since last week, the country's main island of Luzon has been on lockdown in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease.

The novel disease was first reported in China late last year and has spread to more than 180 countries and territories, based on the latest report of the World Health Organization. The global tally of the cases is nearing 300,000, with deaths of close to 13,000.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

PH reports 6 more COVID-19 deaths, as cases rise to 380

MANILA - The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines has climbed to 380, as 73 new patients were recorded, the Department of Health said Sunday.

Six more people died from the disease, raising the toll to 25, while the number of patients who recovered increased to 15, according to DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

In an earlier interview on ANC, Vergeire said most of the patients who recovered do not have underlying conditions and are in the middle-aged group.

Four patients, though, were from the vulnerable group of the elderly, she added.

COVID-19 may be fatal for the elderly, the immunocompromised, and those with underlying medical condition but 80 percent of cases globally showed a high chance of recovery "without needing special treatment," according to the World Health Organization.

The virus, which emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December, has killed 12,725 worldwide as worst-hit Italy reported a one-day record number of deaths at nearly 800, with the country's overall toll shooting past 4,800.

Nearly one billion people around the world were confined to their homes as governments implement home quarantine in a bid to halt the pandemic.

with reports from Agence France-Presse

PH records 77 new cases of COVID-19; total at 307

MANILA - The Philippines on Saturday confirmed 77 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), raising the country's tally to 307.

The Department of Health (DOH) also said that a 73-year-old woman from San Juan City, who had no recent travel history or exposure to a COVID-19 patient, had also died from the disease. She's the country's 19th fatality.

Meanwhile, 5 more people had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total tally of recoveries to 13.

The health department said Saturday it would speed up testing for the virus, as more laboratories were opening up.

The government has also designated 3 state hospitals for COVID-19 patients as private facilities were getting overwhelmed with those diagnosed with the virus and those showing symptoms.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

DOH announces 15 new COVID-19 cases; total now at 217

MANILA — The Department of Health on Thursday said there were 15 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bringing Philippines' total to 217.

Meanwhile, another patient was reported to have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 8.

The patient is a 48-year-old Filipino male from Cavite who recently traveled to Japan. PH20 was admitted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on March 7 and has been discharged from the hospital after testing negative for COVID-19 twice.

There are a total of 17 fatalities among the COVID-19 cases. The DOH clarified that the 16th fatality, PH57 is from Bulacan and not from Pasig City. The patient initially said he lived in Pasig City but, according to DOH, “upon further validation it was found that it is a family member of his who lives there."

The Philippines is under a state of calamity as the government imposed a Luzon-wide lockdown to contain the disease, described by the World Health Organization as a global pandemic after it killed nearly 8,000 and infected 197,000 others worldwide.

COVID-19 may be fatal for the elderly, the immunocompromised, and those with underlying medical condition but 80 percent of cases globally showed a high chance of recovery "without needing special treatment," according to the WHO. 

WHO said COVID-19 symptoms include fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Company stops production of durian candy

DAVAO CITY -- The production of Wendy's Durian Candy was temporarily stopped after the sweets allegedly caused almost 2,000 school children in the Caraga region to fall ill.

The number of those affected by the food poisoning outbreak in the Caraga region has risen to 1,909, based on data gathered by the Department of Health (DOH) at 11 p.m. Saturday.

Janet Aquino, owner of Wendy's Durian Candy, immediately coordinated with the authorities after hearing about the incident.

"Noong nakita ko sa TV, pina-hold ko na iyong stocks ko upang 'di na madamay ang iba," Aquino said.

Officials of the DOH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have also confiscated all their remaining stocks for testing.

According to Aquino, their candies have a shelf life of six months. She also denied that they sell expired products.

She believes that the candies sold to the students have been repacked, since they usually pack and sell their candies by the hundreds.

She also said the incident has deeply affected her business but she is willing to cooperate with the authorities on their investigation.

Davao City Health Officer Dr. Joy Villafuerte said Wendy's Durian Candy is not registered under the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD). -- report from Claire Cornelio, ABS-CBN News Southern Mindanao

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Leptospirosis cases triple to 1,728

MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Health (DOH) has warned the public against leptospirosis as it reported a total of 1,728 cases from Jan. 1 to May 26 this year, up by 211.35 percent from 555 cases during the same period last year.

The DOH also reported 75 leptospirosis deaths during the period as against the 40 recorded in 2011.

According to the DOH, 50 percent or 868 cases were from Region 10, versus seven in 2011; and 19.3 percent or 6,333 cases in Region 6, against 143 last year.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), 64 cases were reported - 22 in Manila, 20 in Quezon City and a few number of cases in other cities.

In its advisory, the DOH said that the persons who might be afflicted by leptospirosis are those living in flooded areas, those who recently waded or swam in flood waters, have had high fever for two to three days; fever was accompanied by body pains, chills, headaches, and red eyes (like sore eyes); jaundice (yellowing of the skin); decreased levels of urination, and urine was tea-colored (a dark amber color).

The DOH said the symptoms occur 10 days after a person first wades in flood waters, wet soil or vegetation.

Leptospirosis is an infection caused by direct exposure to bacteria found in animal urine and feces. Patients can get infected when they swallow flood water or when bacteria enter the body through open wounds, eyes, nose, or breaks in the skin.

As part of precaution, the DOH reiterated calls to the public to avoid flooded areas and to refrain from coming in contact with flood water, to wear protective clothing like pants, rubber boots, gloves or rubber jumpsuits, maintain their home clean and getting rid of rats.

The DOH advised those who have to wade through floods to protect the skin from bacteria by washing with soap and water the parts of the body that have come into contact with flood water.

It also said that those suspected of having leptospirosis should seek medical help immediately, take prescribed antibiotics as early as possible to prevent the disease deteriorating.

Apart from leptospirosis, the DOH also issued a warning against other diseases common during rainy days such as flu, cough and colds, skin irritation and dengue.

source: interaksyon.com