DOH Usec Vega says in the midst of COVID-19 crisis, submission of some paperwork delayed so as not to compromise lives of public (Eagle News) – The Department of Health (DOH) explained to President Rodrigo Duterte how it is complying with the reported deficiencies in documents on the P67.3 billion earlier flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA). The DOH also found a sympathetic ear in President Duterte who said that he understood the […]
Tag: health
Delta variant confirmed in New Zealand, virus case total at five
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A coronavirus case that plunged New Zealand into a snap national lockdown was confirmed as the Delta variant Wednesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, as four more cases emerged. Ardern said one of the new cases was a nurse at Auckland Hospital, which had been placed in “internal lockdown” while all staff and patients were tested. The prime minister said the spread of the virus justified her decision to issue […]
Anti-mask mandate Texas governor tests positive for Covid
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Republican governor of Texas, who has been a forceful opponent of mask mandates, has tested positive for Covid-19, his office said Tuesday, one day after attending an indoor public event. Greg Abbott, who is fully vaccinated, “has been testing daily, and today was the first positive test result,” said a statement from his spokesman Mark Miner. “The Governor will isolate in the Governor’s Mansion and continue to test daily,” […]
Interview with DOH Usec Cabotaje on updates about vaccines in the PHL – Balitalakayan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_gg9VQ2-KM (Eagle News) — Balitalakayan interviews Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje explains concerns about the vaccines in the Philippines amid the increasing transmission of the Delta variant in the country. Cabotaje said that herd protection in the country could be achieved by late this year or early this year since this would be dependent on the vaccine supplies being delivered to the country. As of Aug. 15, about 16 percent of the target population had […]
Snap national lockdown in New Zealand over virus case
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand will move into a snap three-day lockdown after recording its first case of locally transmitted Covid-19 in six months, suspected to be the Delta variant, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday. “We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance,” Ardern said in a televised national address, calling the Delta strain “a game changer”. © Agence […]
Japan to expand virus emergency to battle surge
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s government said Tuesday it will expand a coronavirus state of emergency to seven new regions as it battles a record wave of infections a week before the Paralympic Games. Virus emergency measures that ban restaurants and bars from selling alcohol and require them to close by 8 pm are already in place in Tokyo and five other regions, and had been due to end by August 31. But the government […]
New Zealand records first local virus case in six months
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand recorded its first locally transmitted case of Covid-19 in six months on Tuesday, sparking efforts to trace the origins of the infection as officials pondered a response. The health department said the case was identified in Auckland, the country’s largest city, adding “a link between the case and the border or managed isolation is yet to be established”. It said ministers would meet later Tuesday to determine how […]
Louisiana hospitals overwhelmed by surging Delta variant
by Valentin GRAFF HAMMOND, United States (AFP) — Barely clinging to life, patients in an intensive care unit in Hammond, Louisiana, lie in their beds, gray and emaciated, their faces marked by the tight grip of respirators and the ravages of Covid-19. As cases soar due to the more contagious Delta variant, medical units like the North Oaks Hospital are overwhelmed. Half of the Covid patients there are critical. The southern United States is finding […]
Ivory Coast starts Ebola jabs after first case in decades
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AFP) — Ivory Coast began a roll-out of vaccinations against Ebola on Monday, after the country recorded its first known case of the disease since 1994, the health ministry said. “Health workers, close relatives and contacts of the victim” were the first to be vaccinated, getting jabs from 5,000 doses sent from Guinea, spokesman Germain Mahan Sehi said. Ivorian health workers had previously said that vaccinations of “targeted groups” had already begun […]
Pfizer submits data for 3rd dose approval in US
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday submitted preliminary clinical data to US health authorities as part of their effort to seek authorization for a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine for all Americans. Last week, the United States approved the booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for people with weakened immune systems. Pfizer and BioNTech presented the results of their Phase One trial that evaluated the safety and efficacy of […]
Australia’s second-largest city introduces coronavirus curfew
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — A coronavirus curfew was announced Monday for Australia’s second-biggest city of Melbourne, with residents confined to their homes overnight as authorities work to stamp out a Delta variant outbreak. More than five million Melbourne residents will be unable to leave their homes between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am from Monday evening, with essential workers requiring permits to be on the streets. Victoria state premier Dan Andrews said the decision came after […]
France sees fifth weekend of protests against Macron Covid pass
by Ornella LAMBERTI PARIS, France (AFP) — More than 200,000 protesters marched across France on Saturday against a health pass championed by President Emmanuel Macron to defeat Covid-19, even though the measure has already been applied. The interior ministry said a total of 214,845 people, including nearly 14,000 in Paris, took part in the nationwide protests, down by about 22,000 from last weekend, but still strong for the fifth straight weekend. Macron sees the health […]





