Heading off potential superbug's risks
Its scientists should be praised for acting responsibly in warning the world as soon as they spotted something that may be of serious concern to everyone. While the reactions are bound to cause harm to the African countries, it is hoped that the measures are temporary. The bad news is that Omicron has so many mutations - reportedly more than 30 - that scientists will need time to characterize it. Infectious diseases do not stop at borders, always finding a way to get through no matter how tight they are maintained. Omicron is bound to have an impact on the global recovery, but it would be short term if current vaccines offer protection against serious illness.
Source:The Standard
November 29, 2021 02:15 UTC
SWS: 45% of Filipino families felt poor in 3Q of 2021
SWS: 45% of Filipino families felt poor in 3Q of 2021Forty-eight percent of families claimed they are poor, 23 percent “not poor” and 29 percent placed themselves on the borderline, according to the SWS poll fielded from June 23 to 26. In the latest findings of the pollster published late Saturday night, 45% of Filipino families rated themselves as mahirap, while 34% rated themselves as borderline poor and 21 percent rated themselves as not poor. These figures are a slight improvement from the 48% of self-rated poor families in the last survey in June 2021. According to SWS, the number of self-rated poor families fell in the Visayas and Metro Manila while borderline poor families rose in all areas except Mindanao. If poor, families are asked:In your opinion, how much money would your family need for home expenses each month in order not to be called poor anymore?
Source:Philippine Star
November 28, 2021 22:25 UTC
547,100 AstraZeneca vaccine doses donated by Poland arrive in PH
MANILA, Philippines — The country on Sunday received 547,100 more AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses that were donated by the government of Poland. Based on the Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, 35,557,409 individuals are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with 45,286,049 getting their first dose. RELATED STORIESOver 3 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrive in PHPH gets 1 million more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses2.7 million more Sputnik V doses to arrive in PH, Palace confirms/MUFSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyFor more news about the novel coronavirus click here. For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 28, 2021 22:11 UTC
Govt prepares to fight new variant
Hong Kong, which was on the "green" list, was moved to the "yellow" list after two cases of the Omicron variant were reported there. International travelers arriving from Hong Kong "shall comply with the testing and quarantine protocols for 'yellow' list countries," Nograles said. They, however, must undergo facility-based quarantine for 14 days with testing on the seventh day, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result. The IATF also approved the temporary suspension of testing and quarantine protocols for "green" areas until December 15. Even with the detection of the new Omicron variant, vaccinations will continue to protect Filipinos, he said.
Source:Manila Times
November 28, 2021 21:14 UTC
Travel restrictions up vs COVID-19 variant; more countries added to 'Red List'
Travel restrictions up vs COVID-19 variant; more countries added to 'Red List'A passenger sits alone at the NAIA Terminal 1 on May 3, 2020 after a suspension of international flights. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is tightening border controls and ramping up local COVID-19 response, a Palace official said Sunday as the government task force against COVID-19 expanded a Red List of countries covered by travel restrictions. Passengers who have traveled through or from places on the Red List in the last 14 days will not be allowed into the country regardless of vaccine status, he said. Nograles said that travelers from all other areas not included in the Red List "shall comply with the testing and quarantine protocols for 'Yellow' list countries." Those Without a negative RT-PCR test will need to go on facility-based quarantine and must get swabbed on the fifth day"Upon the release of a negative RT-PCR test, they may be discharged from facility quarantine.
Source:Philippine Star
November 28, 2021 21:09 UTC
Duterte renews call for peaceful resolution of sea dispute
It's been a busy two months for the American, British, and Japanese navies — especially their carriers. In early October, they were part of a massive exercise that saw the US Navy's USS Ronald Reagan USS...
Source:Philippine Star
November 28, 2021 19:15 UTC
Tears as wandering wild boar put down
Michael ShumA man pleaded with government veterinarians not to kill a wild boar with a broken leg and burst into tears when they ignored him. The wild boar, which had entered a residential building and a hotel in Tin Hau, was eventually put down by vets. "I asked them if they were going to take the wild boar with them. They could not answer me, and I asked them if they could release the wild boar. It all began after police received reports that a meter-long wild boar was trapped on the hillside near Tin Hau Temple Road on Saturday.
Source:The Standard
November 28, 2021 19:11 UTC
Photojournalist Hannah Reyes Morales tapped for Nobel Peace Prize exhibition
Photojournalist Hannah Reyes Morales tapped for Nobel Peace Prize exhibitionMANILA, Philippines — Filipino documentary photographer Hannah Reyes Morales, along Nanna Heitmann of Russia, have been tasked to helm the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition for this year's winners Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov. The exhibition will begin on December 11, a day after Ressa and Muratov are receive their prizes in Oslo, where the Nobel Peace Center is located. The two Nobel laureates are expected to open the exhibition themselves. "We are very happy to have worked with two such talented, young documentary photographers, who are also from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates’ home countries," said Nobel Peace Center Director of Exhibitions Nina Frang Høyum. Morales created a documentary photo series for the exhibition that depicts how social media permeates everyday life in the Philippines.
Source:Philippine Star
November 28, 2021 17:49 UTC
DILG: No partisan politics during vaccination event
THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Sunday warned politicians against using the three-day vaccination drive against Covid-19 as an occasion to campaign for the 2022 elections. Jonathan Malaya, DILG undersecretary and spokesman, said the designated vaccination sites "cannot be used for political or partisan purposes." "Otherwise, we may issue a show cause order and even file appropriate charges against all of you for violating minimum health standards," he warned politicians who are planning to exploit the event. Malaya is in Surigao del Norte, where he was assigned to assist the Caraga region to carry out the vaccination drive. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has committed to have its camps used as vaccination sites during the three-day event.
Source:Manila Times
November 28, 2021 16:47 UTC
World scrambles to stop Omicron
"South Africa found it, but it's probably all over the world already." Britain announced tougher entry rules for all arriving passengers and the return of a mask mandate, after confirming its first two cases of the new Omicron strain. A hospital in the Czech Republic confirmed a case of the Omicron variant in a female patient who had travelled from Namibia. The main countries targeted by the shutdown include South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Vaccine manufacturers have held out hope that they can modify current vaccines to target the Omicron variant.
Source:Manila Times
November 28, 2021 16:36 UTC
Democratic Party not making things difficult for members to run in election: chairman
The Democratic Party has rejected claims that it was making things difficult for the four non-pro-establishment candidates in next month’s Legislative Council elections when asking them for their stance on sensitive political issues before offering support. Party chairman Lo Kin-hei denied they are intentionally making things difficult for the candidates, but he and his partymates need to know the philosophy of the candidate that they are supporting. This is a necessary procedure if party members want to support someone outside of the party, and the procedure has been used since a long time ago,” Lo said. “The Democratic Party is the biggest party within the pro-democracy camp, therefore seeking their support is very logical, and I hope I can prevent the legislature from being one that lacks plurality in voices,” Lau said. More than 150 candidates are vying for 90 Legco seats in the December 19 elections, which Chan claimed was "balanced participation".
Source:The Standard
November 28, 2021 14:23 UTC
MLBB World Championships set to welcome live audiences in Singapore
MLBB World Championships set to welcome live audiences in SingaporeMANILA, Philippines — Fans of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are in for a treat as the M3 World Championships will welcome a live audience to the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, an estimated crowd of more than 1000 spectators, during the playoffs. Moonton Games has announced that tickets to the different playoff matches scheduled to take place on December 17 to 19 are now available for purchase. This marks the first Mobile Legends event that will welcome a live audience since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year's world championships, which was also held in Singapore, did not have an audience with fans tuning in via online streams. In the local scene, the past MPL PH seasons, as well as the MSC 2021, were also streamed live with fans cheering for their respective teams via chat and social media.
Source:Philippine Star
November 28, 2021 13:35 UTC
Alvin Chau dubbed "mastermind" in cross-border gambling case
Alvin Chau Cheok-wa, chairman of Macau's biggest casino junkets operator Suncity Group Holdings, was described a “mastermind” in a cross-border gambling case following his arrest. They did not directly name Alvin Chau, but the Suncity Group chairman matches the mastermind's surname and age. On Saturday, officers arrested the 11 in several flats inside a commercial building as well as in a residential flat for illegal gambling operations and money laundering. Wenzhou authorities said on Friday their investigation had found that Chau formed a junket agent network in the mainland to help citizens engage in offshore and cross-border gambling activities. Casino gambling is illegal in China outside Macau, the world's largest gambling hub.
Source:The Standard
November 28, 2021 12:03 UTC
Israel to shut borders completely over Omicron COVID-19 variant
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the ban, pending governmentapproval, would last 14 days. Officials hope that within that period there will be moreinformation on how effective COVID-19 vaccines are against Omicron, which was first detected inSouth Africa and has been dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization. The Shin Bet counter-terrorism agency’s phone-tracking technology will be used to locatecarriers of the new variant in order to curb its transmission to others, Bennett said. Israel has so far confirmed one case of Omicron, with seven suspected cases. Israel has recorded 1.3million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 8,000 fatalities since the pandemic began.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 28, 2021 11:45 UTC
Government signs deal for 20M more Pfizer vaccine doses
Government signs deal for 20M more Pfizer vaccine dosesThe plane carrying the jabs arrived at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport past 8 p.m. on November 25, 2011. MANILA, Philippines — The national government and US drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech have amended their supply agreement to include the purchase of an additional 20 million vaccine doses, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 announced. This brings the total vaccine shots ordered by the country to 60 million for the coming year. These 20 million Pfizer doses are in addition to the 40 million shots we had secured for the country earlier this year," he said. According to Galvez, the Pfizer doses will be financed through an additional financing loan from the World Bank in March 2021.
Source:Philippine Star
November 28, 2021 10:35 UTC