Other News

Troops returning to Hawaii experience unique homecoming amid pandemic

Eagle News — Last week a group of US Army soldiers based in Hawaii returned home after their year-long deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq. Soldiers arrived at Honolulu International Airport after being quarantined in Texas for a few days to screen soldiers for COVID-19. Once touched down in the Aloha state, the homecoming was different from what these soldiers are used to. “It is what it is. We understand that there are limitations that there are […]

PGH looking to hire more medical workers

  (Eagle News)–The Philippine General Hospital is looking to hire more medical workers. The PGH, which is one of several COVID-19 referral centers designated by the Department of Health, made the announcement of its emergency hiring in a Facebook post over the weekend. The PGH said it was looking to hire physicians, nurses, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, radiologic technologists, mechanical equipment technicians, nurse attendants, ambulance drivers and administrative assistants. Each contract, the PGH said, is […]

Netflix sees record sign-ups during pandemic lockdowns

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Netflix on Tuesday reported soaring profits as subscriptions surged by almost 16 million at the streaming television service during lockdowns to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. “After record subscriber additions, Netflix is and will continue to be the media company least impacted by COVID-19,” said eMarketer forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom. “Their business is a near-perfect fit to a population that is […]

Gamboa: Police general hurt in Laguna chopper crash still in coma

Other official conscious, PNP chief says (Eagle News)–One of the police generals who were critically hurt in the helicopter crash in Laguna in March remains in a coma, Philippine National Police Chief Archie Gamboa said. Gamboa, who also figured in the crash, made the revelation about Police Major General Jose Maria Ramos in  a radio interview on Wednesday, April 22. He said Police Major General Mariel Magaway, on the other hand, was already conscious. “Actually […]

US starts contact tracing the old-fashioned way, but ‘it’s late’

by Ivan Couronne Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) — Taiwan and South Korea have led the world in digital contact tracing for the COVID-19 pandemic — an example the US with its emphasis on personal privacy and decentralized system of government is unlikely to be able to follow. Instead, states and cities are opting to hire thousands of public health workers who will have to carry out the laborious task of phoning everyone with […]

Italy sees second successive drop in active virus cases

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy reported its second successive drop Tuesday in the number of current coronavirus cases as it neared a crucial decision on whether to extend its national lockdown. The civil protection service said the number of people officially being treated for COVID-19 fell by 528 to a total of 107,709. The number went down by 20 on Monday — its first decline since the Mediterranean country reported its initial cases two months […]

Trump curbs immigration as UN warns of food shortages

by Chris Lefkow with AFP bureaux Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump announced partial curbs on immigration Tuesday to “protect American workers” amid the economic carnage of the coronavirus pandemic. As Trump announced a 60-day pause in the issuing of “green cards” to people seeking permanent residency in the US, the United Nations warned that the virus could trigger famine in already vulnerable countries. The bleak warning came as […]

More than 2,700 dead in US from coronavirus in last 24 hours

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The coronavirus death toll in the United States — the country with the most fatalities in the pandemic — has climbed by 2,751 in the past 24 hours, the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University showed Tuesday. The US has recorded more than 800,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Baltimore-based university, with 44,845 deaths. Nearly 40,000 new cases were reported between Monday […]

DOH: Majority of 40 COVID-19-positive RITM employees with minor symptoms, asymptomatic

(Eagle News)–Only two of the 40 employees of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine who were infected with COVID-19 are confined in a hospital. In a television interview on Wednesday, April 22, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the two patients were aged 50 and up. The rest of the 40, she said were only under home quarantine. “Maliban doon (sa dalawa), ang ibang empleyado ay may mga minor (symptoms) at asymptomatic naman sila kaya […]

Daimler, Volvo in 1.2-bn-euro deal to make hydrogen batteries: statement

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — German automobile group Daimler said Tuesday it was partnering with Sweden’s Volvo to make hydrogen batteries for trucks, as car giants accelerate a push to wean vehicles from fossil fuels. The joint venture between the two, valued at 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), is “a milestone in bringing fuel cell powered trucks and buses onto our roads,” said Daimler Truck chairman Martin Daum. “By forming this joint venture, we […]

Cuomo presses Trump for more federal help in coronavirus testing

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pressed President Donald Trump Tuesday for more help from the federal government to carry out coronavirus testing during a face-to face-meeting he described as cordial and productive after weeks of sometimes nasty exchanges. As the virus death toll in the US keeps rising and now stands at nearly 45,000, widespread testing is viewed as key to states being able to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen […]

Coronavirus takes mental toll on New York’s medical staff

by Laura BONILLA Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Battling to keep intensive care patients alive at a hospital in one of New York City’s worst-affected coronavirus neighborhoods is taking a toll on nurse Debbie Sanchez’s mental health. “I have extreme anxiety,” said Sanchez, who has been working 12-hour shifts covered head-to-toe in protective clothing since New York became the epicenter of America’s COVID-19 outbreak last month. Sanchez, 57, was working in […]