COVID-19: 172 new cases, 12 more deathsTHE number of cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rose to 6,259 on Sunday with the addition of 172 new cases, the Department of Health said.
There were 12 new deaths, bringing the total to 409, and 56 more recoveries for a total of 572.
A member of the security personnel of the House of Representatives has tested positive for COVID-19, House secretary general Joel Montales said Sunday night. He said the employee, who is also undergoing dialysis, last reported for work in January, was admitted to a hospital on April 7 for pneumonia, and discharged on April 11. The employee was admitted again after testing positive but has been asymptomatic since. Last month, a House employee from the printing office died of COVID-19.
The disease which was first reported in China in December last year has spread to 213 countries and territories around the world, according to the World Health Organization. It has infected almost 2.2 million persons globally and killed over 146,000, WHO figures show.
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines remains the top among countries with COVID-19 cases, followed closely by Malaysia and Singapore at third spot.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) will temporarily scale down its operations to give way to some measures that will “ensure the safety of our healthcare workers.” She did not elaborate.
She said the scaling-down will likely affect the reporting of COVID-19 cases in the coming days. RITM is capable of conducting at least 1,000 tests a day.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, concurrent spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) results of mass testing conducted last week, which are expected on Tuesday, could lead to an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19.
He said this would help government identify, isolate, and treat the infected persons.
FILIPINOS ABROAD
The number of Filipinos abroad infected with the virus rose to 984 with the addition of 116 new cases, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
There were 25 more fatalities, bringing the total to 140. There were 259 recoveries.
The affected Filipinos are living or working in 42 countries.
Of the 984 infected, 585 are undergoing treatment.
Eighty-one Filipinos died in the Americas while 50 others died in Europe, making the two regions the most deadly for Filipinos abroad.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said seafarers who will return to the country before April 30, the last day of the Luzon-wide lockdown, will have to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine period before they can return to their homes.
“They just have to stay there, keep themselves healthy and safe. Stay in the hotels, as all arriving (seafarers) must undergo mandatory quarantine,” OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said in a radio interview.
“After the 14-day quarantine period, they can go home after we issue them the certification,” he added.
Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said he expects almost 50,000 cruise ship workers to stay jobless “until the last quarter of 2020” because the earliest cruise ships can resume operations is by the end of June or July.
Some 14,000 seafarers from various cruise ships have been repatriated while another 12,000 are expected to arrive in Manila starting this week.
DISCRIMINATION
Vergeire appealed to the public anew to stop discriminating COVID-19 patients and survivors.
“The survivors have already emerged victorious from COVID-19. Let us not make them feel that after their bout with the virus, they have to face another battle,” said Vergeire.
“What they need is our support. Hopefully, despite their isolation, we can still show our support to them,” she added.
The appeal was issued following reports that some patients and survivors have been subjected to harassment and discrimination via social media.
Earlier, the DOH already warned that stigmatizing COVID-19 patients and survivors may jeopardize the government’s efforts to stop the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Chinese medical experts who arrived two weeks ago to help Filipino counterparts in the fight against COVID-19 returned home on Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said.
The 12-man team that arrived in the country last April 5 released its findings last Friday, including that the Philippines risks not being able to cut off the source of the virus because of “limited beds and testing capacity.” They noted that many of the country’s COVID patients are still quarantined at home instead of being confined in hospitals.
They recommended that the government build large, temporary hospitals similar to what in Wuhan City, where the disease originated.
The government has converted facilities to accept COVID patients such as the World Trade Center in Pasay, Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Rizal Memorial Coliseum and other similar structures. — With Wendell Vigilia and Ashzel Hachero
