THE Department of Health on Monday reported 284 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bringing the total to 4,932.
The DOH also reported 18 new deaths (total 315) and 45 new recoveries (total 242).
Globally, the World Health Organization said there were almost 1.7 million confirmed cases, including 105,952 deaths, as of Monday.
Among Filipinos abroad, six new cases were reported, according to the the Department of Foreign Affairs. This brings to 660 the number of COVID-positive Filipinos living and working in 40 countries. There have been 84 deaths and 192 recoveries.
Among government officials, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and Education Secretary Leonor Briones are now negative for the virus.
Año has tested negative for COVID-19 and is recovering from the disease that infected him last month.
Año, a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the first Cabinet member to test positive for COVID-19, said he got the test result Monday afternoon. He underwent the retest on April 8.
“Negative na siya, wala nang na-detect na virus, clear na siya (It’s already negative, no virus was detected, its clear.) But of course I have to continue my quarantine,” he said.
Año first went on a 14-day home quarantine on March 26 after ACT-CIS party list Rep. Eric Yap announced he tested positive for COVID-19. He and Yap attended a meeting in Malacañang on March 21. The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine later said Yap’s test was actually negative.
Año also had been in contact with four people who tested positive for COVID-19, including Armed Forces chief Gen. Felimon Santos Jr who has also recovered from the virus.
Año underwent the initial COVID-19 test on March 27 and got the result, confirming he is COVID-19 positive, on March 31.
The Department of Education said Briones, the second Cabinet official to get COVID-19, is now negative for the virus.
Briones last week said she was positive for the coronavirus. She underwent the first test on March 13 and the second test on April 2.
VACCINES
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is no better preventive measure against COVID-19 than the health practices being pushed by the DOH, like “physical distancing, avoidance of mass gathering, frequent washing of hands.”
“These are non-pharmaceutical intervention we need to practice to prevent transmission,” she said as as she noted that vaccines against COVID-19 may not come until later this year, at the earliest.
She said it would be impractical for authorities to put all their hopes on vaccines.
“As for our vaccine, experts say it will take about maybe 6 to 12 months or maybe one year to 1 1/2 years before it comes out,” said Vergeire.
The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines has said that pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Sanofi are engaged in the research and development of vaccines.
INMATES
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology said 21 its of inmates from jails nationwide have been isolated and subjected to COVID-19 tests.
BJMP spokesman Chief Insp. Xavier Solda said the 21 were isolated as a precaution.
Solda also said as of Monday, there are no known confirmed COVID-19 cases among the inmates. On March 29, a female BJMP paralegal officer at the QC jail tested positive for the virus and underwent home quarantine.
Solda also said all BJMP personnel will donate 1.5 percent of their base pay for next month to the Office of Civil Defense in support of the government’s efforts to fight COVID-19. Solda said they expect to generate P7.23 million from the move.
Solda said inmates are also helping in fabricating face masks and other personal protective equipment for the use of frontline health workers. — With Victor Reyes, Ashzel Hachero, and Noel Talacay
