President Rodrigo Duterte has designated national policy against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. as “vaccine czar” to ensure that the Philippines has access to a potential vaccine for the virus once available.
In a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Duterte said he wanted Galvez to be the sole person in charge of the purchase of vaccines.
“Pagbili ng bakuna (In the purchase of the vaccine), the negotiation, manufacture, production, or distribution, binigay ko yan kay (I gave it to) Secretary Galvez. So only Secretary Galvez is authorized to negotiate or whatever,” he said.
He turned down the idea of having to form a committee in charge of vaccine procurement as it might lead to further delays.
“Ayaw ko yang committee-committee. Matagal yan (I don’t want to have to create a committee. It will delay the process). I have great faith in Charlie to really come up with the solutions for the problem,” he added.
PH cases drop 25 percent
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country had decreased by 25 percent as against comparative figures in September.
Vergeire, during an online briefing, said the trend might improve further to no more new COVID-19 cases to be reported in a day.
Based on Department of Health data, the average number of new reported cases per day from three to four weeks ago was 2,517 cases. In the past two weeks, Vergeire said this dropped to 1,887 cases.
Vergeire said the average number of new COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region also dropped from 842 cases to 522 cases.
However, Vergeire noted that the number of COVID-19 cases alone did not determine the community quarantine classification that would be applied to an area. She pointed out that the health system capacity should also be considered.
According to Vergeire, the DOH was targeting that all local government units would be under modified general community quarantine or new normal by the end of the first quarter of 2021.
2,298 COVID-19 cases
The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines surged to 385,400 on Monday after the Department of Health logged 2,298 new infections as 14 laboratories failed to submit data on time.
This is the 20th straight day that newly-announced cases were below 3,000.
The five areas with the highest number of new infections were Benguet with 188, Davao City with 166, Rizal with 119, Quezon City with 116, and Bulacan with 91.
Meanwhile, total recoveries rose to 348,830 after 87 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness.
The death toll also climbed to 7,269 with 32 new fatalities.
Patients transferred
As Typhoon Rolly battered much of Luzon amid the coronavirus pandemic, over 300 COVID-19 patients and medical workers were transferred to various hospitals across Metro Manila.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also said that health care facilities, especially in the Bicol region, took a hit from the typhoon.
Vergeire on Monday said the COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region improved from a daily average of about 2,500 cases in August, to only around 500 in the last 2 weeks.
The average number of new cases per day for the whole Philippines also went down to around 1,800.
Healthy system
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara is pushing for the establishment of hospitals within state universities and colleges as a way to help fortify the country’s health system.
When the country experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases, the entire nation was confronted with the reality that there were not enough hospital beds to cater to the patients and that more doctors and other medical personnel are needed to treat them.
Based on a recent study conducted by the University of the Philippines, the country has an average of 3.7 doctors for every 10,000 members of the population.
This is way below the recommendation of the World Health Organization of 10 doctors for every 10,000 population and only the National Capital Region was able to meet this ratio.
For other areas such as Region IV-B, the ratio was only 1.8 to 10,000 while in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, it was even lower at 0.8 to 10,000.
Medical professionals
Based on data from the Health Human Resource Development Bureau of the Department of Health, there are 860,000 medical professionals registered in the country, but only 189,000 are actually serving in either public or private institutions.
The same UP study also noted the deficiencies in the hospital bed to population ratio.
There are only 6.1 beds for every 10,000 Filipinos on average, with the NCR once again having the highest at 13.5. For Region IV-B, the ratio is 1 hospital bed per 10,000 population.
“The reality that six out of 10 Filipinos die without seeing a medical professional is very alarming. After seeing the data, it explains why our healthcare system was overwhelmed when we were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Angara said.
Rolly’s effects
The effects of Typhoon Rolly are affecting the operations of the health care system amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday.
Duque, during a press briefing, said some health workers were having a hard time going to hospitals due to the floodings and lahar flows.
Duque also raised the concern on cold chain storage for vaccines and COVID-19 test specimens amid the interrupted power supply.
Due to this, Duque called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to prioritize restoring the supply of electricity in affected areas.
Damaged facilities
In a separate press conference, DOH director Gloria Balboa said they are expecting that many health facilities were damaged after Rolly’s onslaught especially in the Bicol Region.
“Total repair of the facility would take some time,” Balboa said.
Balboa said the vaccines positioned in rural health centers will be returned to DOH regional offices and hospitals, where power generators are available.
COVID evacuees
The Philippines won’t be able to test all Typhoon Rolly evacuees, the Department of Health said on Monday.
However, there are other ways to curb the spread of COVID-19 in temporary shelters, the DOH said.
“Testing at evacuation sites is ideal. Ideally, if we have resources and we can implement it, we can do that,” Vergeire said in a virtual briefing.
However, Vergeire said it is “not really recommended at this point.”
“So what we have recommended is for the symptoms screening and the assignment of safety officers in this kind of evacuation areas,” she said.
Total tested
According to the latest government report, over 4.53 million individuals have been tested in the country for the infectious disease, and the country's accredited testing laboratories have increased to 140.
Vergeire said that evacuees who show symptoms would be moved to another facility.
Asked about modular tents placed near each other, Vergeire said it was okay as long as the tents were enclosed and the partitions help curb transmission.
However, she also advised evacuees to try and get fresh air since it was unhealthy to stay in a small, enclosed space for the whole day.
Before Typhoon Rolly hit, the Department of Health said it transferred 324 patients and staff from temporary treatment and monitoring facilities at risk of being damaged.
Power outages
Power outages caused by this year's strongest storm in the country might affect the efficacy of vaccines and coronavirus testing paraphernalia, which need to be frozen, the health department said Monday.
Typhoon Rolly, a super typhoon at its peak, killed at least 16 people as it caused flooding and landslides, destroyed houses, and toppled power lines in the hardest-hit areas where hundreds of thousands fled their homes over the weekend.
The new weather disturbance, Typhoon Siony, which entered the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday morning just hours after Typhoon Rolly hit land in the Bicol Region, may reach severe tropical storm category and make landfall this week, the state weather bureau said.
Power was still out in the entire Bicol region, Energy Undersecretary Alex Lopez said in the same press briefing held before noon Monday.
Health standards
The DOH strongly advised the public to continue practicing minimum health standards and reiterated its call for Local Government Units to designate safety officers in evacuation centers and implement measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
Health Secretary Duque, during the NDRRMC national briefing, detailed the responsibilities of these safety officers in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Duque further emphasized the need for LGUs to protect vulnerable evacuees by separating them, and to immediately isolate symptomatic evacuees.
If possible, the Secretary suggested that a “one family, one classroom or tent” policy should be adopted to prevent disease transmission and maintain proper room ventilation.
Quarantine facilities
Some 155 COVID-19 patients and 169 staff staying in temporary treatment and monitoring facilities were transferred to different hotels and hospitals in Manila, Pasig, and Quezon City in anticipation of the effects of Typhoon Rolly.
DOH director Gloria Balboa said on Monday the transfer was a preemptive measure to make sure that patients were safe from the possible calamity.
“We are very much concerned about our temporary treatment and monitoring facilities because we have positive patients for COVID,” Balboa said in a press conference.
The mega facilities, managed by the national government, that transferred infected patients were Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Rizal Medical Center, Filinvest Tent, Philippine International Convention Center, and Philippine Arena, among others.
