Approval

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) launched on Tuesday the pilot run of its saliva-based COVID-19 testing, which is seen as a cheaper and “less invasive” alternative to swab tests. “I think it’s a game-changer. We used to have difficulty getting swabbed. They get into our nose, our throat. Now it’s less invasive,” Sen. Richard Gordon, PRC chairman,  told reporters in a briefing, speaking partly in Filipino. “The cost is much less — at least P2,000,” he added. RED CROSS SALIVA TEST. Pinangunahan natin ngayong araw ang pilot testing ng @philredcross Saliva Test na mas mura kumpara sa swab test at non-invasive. pic.twitter.com/cprWSFK52k — Richard J. Gordon (@DickGordonDG) January 12, 2021 Gordon has been pushing for the use of saliva tests to detect the new coronavirus, saying this would cut the cost and yield fast results with 99.9 percent reliability. The PRC already submitted to the Department of Health (DOH) the results of the tests it ... » Learn More about PRC starts pilot run of cheaper, ‘less invasive’ saliva COVID-19 testing

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill declaring Davao City as chocolate capital and the entire Davao Region as the Philippines’ cacao capital. Voting 22-0-1, senators passed Senate Bill No. 1741, which seeks to “recognize Davao as the country’s biggest producer of cacao and its vital contribution in making the Philippines world-renowned and sought-after by chocolate makers from the United States, Japan, and Europe.” Senator Cynthia Villar, the sponsor of the bill as chairperson of the Senate agriculture panel, cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which showed that approximately 78.76 percent of cacao’s annual production in the Philippines comes from the Davao Region. More than 20,000 hectares of cacao farms in the region, and Davao City has the largest area, she added. “The Philippines has about 15,000 cocoa farmers nationwide. The bill hopes to make Davao City and the Davao Region become an inspiration and a ... » Learn More about Senate OKs bill declaring Davao City as chocolate capital, Davao Region as cacao capital

DILI — The tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor will put its capital city on a coronavirus lockdown for the first time, its government said on Monday, amid fears it could be facing its first local outbreak. A “sanitary fence and mandatory confinement” will be imposed in Dili for seven days from midnight Monday with residents asked to stay home unless necessary to leave, the country’s council of ministers said in statement. It said the measure was because of a “high probability of community transmission”, but did not elaborate. “It is forbidden to travel, by land, sea or air, out of this municipality, except in duly justified cases for reasons of safety, public health, humanitarian or other that are necessary for the accomplishment of the public interest,” it said. A former Portuguese colony with a population of 1.2 million, East Timor has detected just 122 cases of the coronavirus, most of which were imported. But its porous border with Indonesia, which has recorded ... » Learn More about East Timor imposes first coronavirus lockdown over outbreak fears

SINGAPORE - Parliament on Monday (March 8) approved the Government's $107 billion spending plans for the coming financial year, following nine days of debate on the national Budget where hot-button issues featured prominently on the agenda. These included sustainability, industry transformation, job security and mental health. Capping the debate, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah reminded MPs that Singapore may face difficult choices ahead as its spending needs grow despite a tight fiscal situation. While the House was agreed on Singapore's fiscal approach for this year's Budget, she said, it will likely have to debate the impending goods and services (GST) tax hike again - given what opposition MPs have said on the topic. "I wish only to leave Members with this thought: If we want to do more for our people, we will have to spend more," added Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development. "In a tight fiscal situation, this Parliament will ... » Learn More about Parliament has to choose between what’s popular and what’s right as spending needs grow: Indranee

The city government of Manila has approved the plan of four medical schools to conduct limited face-to-face classes and internship programs for their health-related courses. Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso allowed the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM)-College of Medicine, Metropolitan Medical Center College of Arts Sciences and Technology (MMC-CAST), Chinese General Hospital Colleges (CGHC) and Manila Theological College (MTC)-College of Medicine to hold physical classes. “What is the goal here? To produce doctors, nurses, midwives and all others that CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) allowed to conduct face-to-face classes,” Domagoso said. “If we can produce that next year, then at least we can continue to strengthen our medical professionals handling the situation.” “We believe that this hands-on training will ensure that our future doctors will be of good caliber,” PLM President Emmanuel Leyco said in a statement. In a letter addressed to Domagoso, CGHC ... » Learn More about Manila OKs face-to-face classes in 4 schools

THE Manila government is willing to offer its newly inaugurated storage facility for Covid-19 vaccines. Mayor Francisco Domagoso led the formal opening of the facility at the Sta. Ana Hospital on Thursday. “We will welcome anybody, any agency, including our fellow local government units (LGUs), meaning anywhere in Metro Manila can use this facility,” the local chief executive said. “This is a pandemic, we wanted to approach this inclusively.” Manila is now only waiting for the arrival of the approved and authorized vaccines for its residents. The city government procured 12 refrigeration units for the storage of five different brands: five HYC-390 refrigerators for AstraZeneca and Sinovac, two -25 degrees Celsius (C) biomedical freezers, two -30 C biomedical freezers for Johnson and Johnson and Moderna, and three -86 C ULT freezers for Pfizer. The facility will also be equipped with 11 closed circuit television cameras working 24/7 and six data loggers to ensure the security ... » Learn More about Manila offers vaccine facility to LGUs

The following is a press release from AstraZeneca. Their thoughts and opinions are their own. The first doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived today in Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport ahead of schedule, bringing renewed hope to the country’s fight against the pandemic. The batch of 11 7 ,600 doses landed on the runway to a fanfare, representing the first vaccines to arrive in the country to fight the virus. COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca , which is licensed for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years and older, is currently undergoing final quality control testing, after which it will be handed over so that the local vaccination program can begin. The vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 when taken as two doses administered at a four to the 12-week interval. It has been shown to be 100% protective against severe disease, hospitalization, and death, more than 22 days after the first ... » Learn More about First AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses arrive in Thailand

Takeaway meals app Deliveroo slashed losses last year on booming demand from locked-down customers during the pandemic, it reported Monday ahead of a London stock market float planned for April. The UK-based company made an underlying loss of £223.7 million ($309.3 million, 259.5 million euros) in 2020, Deliveroo said in a statement, hit by heavy investment. It marked an improvement from the loss of £317 million in 2019. The value of transactions last year rocketed 64 percent to £4.1 billion for Deliveroo, in which US retail giant Amazon took a 16-percent stake two years ago. Deliveroo last week picked London for its stock market listing, handing a major boost to the capital's financial sector which has been roiled by Brexit. The company -- founded in London eight years ago --  confirmed Monday its "intention to list" in an initial public offering that will target institutional investors outside the United States. The IPO "will include a community offer in which the company ... » Learn More about Deliveroo cuts annual loss before London float

Lawmakers in Thailand are promoting cannabis as a cash crop for the country’s farmers as another source of income, a senior official said on Sunday. “Everybody has the right to grow marijuana by partnering up with provincial hospitals for medical use,” deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisoranakul said. She said that those interested would have to also seek approval from authorities. “So far, 2,500 households and 251 provincial hospitals have grown 15,000 cannabis plants,” she said. “We hope that cannabis and hemp will be a primary cash crop for farmers.” Others that can seek licenses to grow cannabis include universities, community enterprises, medical professionals and traditional medicine professionals. The announcement comes after Thailand last year removed certain cannabis and hemp parts from its narcotics list . Cannabis can also be used in food and beverages at restaurants, as long as it came from an approved producer, Ms Traisulee said, adding that the ... » Learn More about Lawmakers in Thailand Promoting Cannabis as a Cash Crop for Farmers

The crunch of Thailand’s insect delicacies may soon be heard all around the world, after Mexico agreed to import Thai cricket products. The crickes have been used in Thai food for centuries. Mexico’s National Food Safety and Quality Service has approved the import of Thai house edible crickets (Acheta domesticus) in the form of powder, reports the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS). “Mexico’s approval … is the first step for Thai edible crickets to penetrate the global market,” said ACFS secretary-general Pisal Pongsapich. He said Mexico’s decision came on Feb 12 after talks with Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, ACFS, the Department of Livestock Development, and the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Los Angeles, which has been actively promoting Thai edible insects in foreign markets. To meet Mexican food standards, crickets must be raised on a closed farm with GAP (good agricultural practice) accreditation. “Consumers in Latin ... » Learn More about Mexico to Import Edible Cricket Products from Thailand