The government allocates at least P66 million for the country’s participation in the solidarity trials intended to find a vaccine against COVID-19, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said Saturday.
“…For solidarity trials, the amount is only 66 million,” Avisado told members of the House of Representatives deliberating the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget in 2021.
Avisado said the amount “is part of the commitment to the global move to discover or test possible vaccines.”
One hospital
The National Task Force Against COVID-19 is eyeing the establishment of a One Hospital Command for Northern Mindanao due to the rising number of COVID-19 patients in the region.
The establishment of a One Hospital Command will ensure effective and efficient health facility referral for patients, according to NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
Iligan City was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine until September 30 because of its increasing cases of infection.
Isolation centers
The Quezon City government has put up an additional 860 beds in isolation centers established by various barangays for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
This, aside from the 2,000-bed capacity of its so-called.HOPE quarantine facilities, according to Mayor Joy Belmonte.
Belmonte said 82 out of the 142 QC barangays have already put up dedicated facilities, which are located in city- or barangay-owned buildings, to avoid home quarantine for probable, suspect and confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Livelihood aid
The COVID-19 pandemic did not deter the government from providing assistance to the vulnerable sectors of the workforce, particularly the persons with disability displaced due to the implementation of community quarantine in various parts of the country.
An agency of the labor department did just that and extended its Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan (KaGabay) Program to PWDs even in the provinces.
The Employees’ Compensation Commission listed 49 PWD-beneficiaries from Central Luzon and Davao in its KaGabay, a special assistance program for PWDs who lost employment due to work-related sickness or injury.