Hospital

MANILA, Philippines — Strict quarantine rules in Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal will be eased slightly starting Monday up to April 30 as hospitals have committed themselves to provide more beds for patients with the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Sunday. President Rodrigo Duterte approved the less stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for Metro Manila and the four provinces — dubbed “National Capital Region (NCR) Plus” — from the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), even as COVID-19 cases continued to rise and swamp hospitals. Total detected cases surged to 864,868 after laboratory tests confirmed 11,681 new infections on Sunday, the third straight day of breaching the 10,000 mark, according to the Department of Health (DOH). The death toll climbed to 14,945 after 201 more fatalities were reported. More than 200 deaths had been reported daily in five of the ... » Learn More about Quarantine restrictions eased in Metro Manila, 4 adjacent provinces

PHUKET: A scan of body parts found in a refrigerator during a raid last week on a building in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 56 suggests it was an elderly European man who was dismembered by an electric saw, Dr Udomsak Hoonwichit, of Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of medicine, said yesterday. The deceased man’s DNA will be collected for identification and given to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for a check with its database, he said. Udomsak and Central Institute of Forensic Science director Suphot Nakngernthong took the dismembered body for a virtual autopsy yesterday by CT scan to try to determine the time of death, the cause and possibly some clues about the killer. That was carried out while other identification methods were used such as checking clothes and dental records, DNA sampling, and testing for traces of toxic elements or poison, Udomsak said. The results would also be sent to the FBI for a second check. “The fact the body parts were frozen could affect ... » Learn More about Victim of Bangkok gang may be elderly European

PHUKET, PATONG: A young Norwegian tourist who fell from his eighth-story hotel room Tuesday morning miraculously survived with only minor injuries. At about 8 am, Kathu Police were informed that a foreign tourist had fallen from his room on the eighth floor of the Phuket Palace Hotel, at the south end of Patong on the road to Karon. Fearing the worst, Kathu Police Duty Officer Nitikorn Rawang and rescue workers from the Kusolharm Foundation rushed to the scene. There they found 26-year-old Norwegian Hans Christian Dalen lying on the ground. He was barely conscious, but still very much alive. In fact, the tourist might well have passed out hours beforehand from simple intoxication, as he had been up all night drinking with some new friends he met while out on the town in Patong, the center of Phuket’s vibrant nightlife. Mr Dalen told the Gazette from his bed at Phuket International Hospital that he and a friend, also Norwegian, had that night befriended three Thai women – ... » Learn More about Norwegian survives eight-story plunge

DHAKA: Bangladesh authorities on Monday (Apr 12) ordered an eight-day closure of all offices and international and domestic transport, as COVID-19 cases hit a new high. The drastic measures, which will virtually seal off the country, will start on Wednesday, said a government statement. The South Asian nation of 160 million people has recorded 684,756 cases and 9,739 deaths, but the number of daily cases has increased seven-fold in a month. Hospitals in cities across the country say they are being overwhelmed by the new cases, and daily deaths have more than doubled. "All government, semi-government, autonomous and private office and financial institutions will be closed," said a Cabinet statement. International and domestic flights will be halted along with maritime, rail and bus services, the order added. All stores - except those supplying food - will be shut, but authorities will allow factories to remain open if companies can organise their own transport. The ... » Learn More about Bangladesh shuts down offices, transport amid COVID-19 surge

SINGAPORE - More than 30 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - some facing operational constraints in sending their staff for training - will get more help to equip their workers with the right skills and grow their business. Over the course of a year, they will work with Prudential to identify skills gaps and get the necessary support under the insurance firm's SME skills accelerator programme. These SMEs come from 23 industries including construction, education, funeral services, information technology, and food and beverage. Minister of State for Manpower and Education Gan Siow Huang spoke with some SMEs on the programme on Monday (Nov 30) at independent cinema EagleWings Cinematics, whose parent company is among those participating. This programme is part of larger efforts by SkillsFuture Singapore to get industry leaders, or "queen bees", to help with the training needs of not just their own staff but those from other firms, particularly those in their industries. ... » Learn More about ‘Queen bee’ industry leaders to lend expertise to give SMEs a leg up in upskilling workers

AS the country remains in an extended community quarantine, Filipinos are struggling to meet their everyday healthcare needs. In a time of fear and uncertainty, e-health has thus become vital for patients to confidently access care through digital consultations and purchases of medicines to avoid visiting crowded hospitals. Now, these services are streamlined into one comprehensive digital network through Sanofi Philippines’ WeHealth ecosystem. The WeHealth system is a way to automate the patient journey by allowing users to consult with a medical professional of their choice, easily buy and receive prescribed treatments and have all their healthcare needs delivered right to their doorstep. Through Sanofi’s partner telehealth apps and pharmacies, patients can request for doctors to either do virtual consultations or visit their homes and even order much-needed medicines directly online. The WeHealth system will also make patient education more accessible, particularly for patients ... » Learn More about Sanofi launches digital WeHealth ecosystem to connect patients and doctors

THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Monday stopped receiving new requests for its online teleconsultation service to clear a backlog following the influx of patients. “Kailangan lang po namin ng panahon para ma-integrate na sa aming system ’yung ating external volunteers at maayos namin lahat [ng] technical issues at backlogs (We need time to integrate our external volunteers in our system and fix all technical issues and backlogs),” Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo said. The vice president clarified that the shutdown will only last for one day. Operations will resume at 7 a.m. today, April 13. She apologized to the public on social media, saying her office did not expect the overwhelming number of requests for teleconsultation. “Nai-imagine ko nga — kung kami na talagang nag-o-augment lang ng capacity, ganito na ang nararamdamang pagka-overwhelm; paano pa kaya ’yung mga health care worker natin sa ospital? (If we are already this overwhelmed, imagine what ... » Learn More about OVP teleconsultation temporarily halted

QUEZON City has partnered with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and private diagnostics clinic Hi-Precision to further increase the city’s capacity to test residents for Covid-19. “Our partnerships will allow us to pool all available resources, weave our efforts and immediately address the needs of our most affected communities,” Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte said. The PRC pledged to allocate 8,000 RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test kits to the city worth around P3,400 each. Belmonte said this would allow the city government to test more residents and subsequently reinforce its contact tracing efforts. “With the current direct partnership, results are expected to be released at a faster turnaround time,” she added. According to the city’s Public Affairs and Information Services Department, the city plans to open three additional testing centers. The existing community-based testing centers are in Toro Hill Basketball Court (District 1), Payatas ... » Learn More about QC expands Covid-19 testing

THE Department of Health (DoH) maintained that the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the so-called NCR Plus will not be wasted. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the effects of the ECQ will not be felt until 10 to 14 days after it was modified. Vergeire said during the ECQ, the region was able to control the exponential transmission rate of the Covid-19. The DoH official was reacting to the statement of the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) that the ECQ was “wasted” because the government had “no clear plans and efforts to fix the root causes and the nation continues to suffer because of this.” “This ECQ may have slowed down the spread, but the numbers are still perilously high. As demoralized health care providers continue to brave on, the odds of their success are overwhelmed by these gaping needs,” the group said. Vergeire said if the government did not carry out intervening measures, the daily average of ... » Learn More about ECQ did not go to waste, DoH insists

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go reminded the public not to be complacent despite the downgrading of the lockdown in the NCR Plus to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until the end of the month. “The new community quarantine guidelines that have been approved, including the implementation of MECQ in NCR Plus areas starting this Monday, do not mean we will be complacent,” he said. He said the enhanced community quarantine was imposed to limit the movement of the people to contain the virus. The MECQ ensures that the economy keeps running and that livelihoods are revived. Regardless of the quarantine classification, Go asked for the cooperation of all Filipinos when it comes to following health and safety protocols. “That is why we need everyone’s solidarity in this fight. We are implementing the necessary measures to prevent not only disease, but also hunger and poverty,” he said. Go stressed the government weighs all factors in striking the balance between ... » Learn More about Do not be complacent, Bong Go warns public