Vaccination

Following the reports from various European medical agencies regarding the possible link between blood clotting and the AstraZeneca vaccine, and with the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcing announcing their move of temporarily suspending AstraZeneca vaccination for persons below 60, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion 3rd highlighted that we should focus on and not forget the huge benefits of the vaccine, which outweigh its potential risks. “Of course, any information like this is a point of concern. Most especially, we are expecting around 22 to 26 million total combined doses of AstraZeneca from the Covax facility for local government units (LGUs) and private sector procurement. However, it’s important to note that the majority of the workforce in the private sector as well as LGUs belong to the age group below 60. So, this greatly affects our population. Vaccinating Filipinos is critical to our ... » Learn More about Concepcion: Huge benefits outweigh risk of AstraZeneca vaccine

Since receiving its first shipment of vaccine on December 15, Guam has been proactively vaccinating the island based on their priority groups. As of March 29, Guam has fully vaccinated over 25 percent of its qualified population and over 39 percent have received at least one dose. In order to accelerate the process and faster reach the target set by the Governor, who aims to vaccinate 50 percent of Guam’s adult population (approximately 62,500 people) by May 1, and 80 percent of the qualified population by July 21, the Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee (VAPPC) has approved to expand the Covid-19 vaccine eligibility criteria to residents aged 16 years and older. Effective immediately, minors can get vaccinated at designated medical facilities and locations. On another hand, Guam has been reporting low positive numbers in recent months to demonstrate the effectiveness of system to contain Covid-19 virus on the island. Also, Guam Visitors Bureau’s “Guam Safe ... » Learn More about Guam expands Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to 16 years old

China has administered 164.47 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Saturday, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. This represents around 24.5 million doses in the past six days, as the country's vaccine rollout continues to accelerate. Last week a Chinese official said the country is expected to produce around 3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year. Chinese health authorities on Sunday reported 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 asymptomatic cases, bringing the country's total to 90,410, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,636. The National Health Commission, in a statement, said all the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, rose to 22 from 11 cases a day earlier. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mainland China now stands at 90,410, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,636. Meanwhile, in ... » Learn More about China administers 164.47 million COVID-19 vaccinations as of April 10

BRUSSELS : European Union leaders no longer meet around a common oval summit table to broker their famed compromises. Instead, each of the 27 watches the other heads of state or government with suspicion via a video screen that shows a mosaic of faraway capitals. This is what Covid-19 has wrought. Lofty hopes that the crisis would encourage a new and tighter bloc to face a common challenge have given way to the reality of division: The pandemic has set member nation against member nation, and many capitals against the EU itself, as symbolized by the disjointed, virtual meetings the leaders now hold. Leaders fight over everything from virus passports to push tourism to the conditions for receiving pandemic aid. Perhaps worse, some attack the very structures the EU built to deal with the pandemic. Last month, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz decried how vaccine-buying in the bloc had become a “bazaar,” alleging poorer countries struck out while the rich thrived. “Internal ... » Learn More about EU and Covid-19: When a vaccine only adds to the trouble

MANILA, Philippines — An additional 500,000 doses of CoronaVac, the COVID-19 vaccine from China’s Sinovac BioTech arrived in the Philippines on Sunday afternoon. The procured vaccine doses arrived in flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR359 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 at 5:18 p.m, according to a report by state-run media Peoples’ Television (PTV). This is the second batch of vaccines procured by the Philippine government that arrived in the country. The first batch, w hich was one million doses, arrived on March 29. The Philippines has procured some 25 million doses of the said vaccine. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said 1.5 million CoronaVac doses are expected to arrive in the Philippines this month. Apart from this, 500,000 doses of Russia’s Gamaleya Institute’s Sputnik V vaccine is expected to be delivered in April. Apart from the procured vaccines, China has sent one million donated CoronaVac vaccines in two ... » Learn More about 500,000 vaccines from China’s Sinovac arrive in Manila

In the northern hemisphere anyway, winter is on the way, a dangerous time for authorities trying to mitigate the sudden surge of new cases and deaths from Covid-19 in parts of Europe, the UK and the US. With a vaccine timeline still ‘flexible’, the only cushioning to a further spread of the pandemic is more social distancing, face-masks, attention to hygiene. And lockdowns. Whilst there is no evidence that the ambient temperature has much effect on the direct spread or strength of the coronavirus, medical officials say the colder weather brings people indoors where there is more direct interaction of people, accelerating the spread of Covid-19. Th virus continues to rage in South America as well, though it’s heading into its summer instead. In the US, still without a declared winner in the presidential elections, Joe Biden has spent his early days as President-elect pleading with Americans to pay greater attention to the relentless North American surge of Covid-19. President ... » Learn More about In the middle of the Covid pandemic “now is the winter of our discontent”

WHILE vaccines, vaccine passports and vaxications are tempting, reachable goals to restore normalcy in travel and migration mobility, the Covid-19 virus remains the indecipherable variable holding up a new normal. For international travel “to come back,” more people must be vaccinated, and a government has to feel that it is safe to open its borders to visitors — and migrants. On April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that people who are fully vaccinated with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States. An individual is considered “fully vaccinated two weeks after having received the last required dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.” UK’s Global Travel Taskforce sets out a new traffic light system and green watchlist to safely reopen international travel. The traffic light system categorizes countries “based on risk alongside the restrictions required for travel and the vaccine roll-out from ... » Learn More about Migration laws allow, but Covid forbids

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday reported that 170 UK variant cases, 192 South Africa variant cases, 19 Philippine variant cases, and one Brazil variant case was found in the latest COVID-19 sample sequencing. This makes the total of UK variant cases in the country to be at 392, South Africa variant at 244, Philippine variant at 123, and Brazil variant at two. Of the total of UK variant cases, two cases have died while 168 have recovered. Of the 244 South Africa variant cases, two cases are active, three cases have died, and 187 cases have recovered, DOH said. Meanwhile, all of the 19 Philippine variant cases have recovered. The variant cases were detected among two batches of 25 samples sequenced on March 28 and 1,336 samples sequenced between March 28 to April 8. “With the increasing number of variant cases being detected, the DOH reiterates that strict and consistent adherence to the minimum public health standards and increased support ... » Learn More about 170 UK, 192 South Africa COVID-19 variant cases detected in latest sequencing

(NYTIMES) - No one in Ms Deena Al Mahbuba's family has met her daughter, Aara. She was born at the end of 2019, extremely premature. By the time Aara left the hospital for her home outside Boston in mid-June, the world was already months into Covid-19 lockdowns. Ms Mahbuba's close relatives, along with her husband's, all live in Bangladesh. The couple moved from there in 2013. Family members have done their best to stay connected, but Ms Mahbuba, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wishes her relatives were nearby. Her elder siblings could help her soothe Aara when she is sleepless. Or they could show her how they introduced foods to their babies. Aara, now 15 months old, struggles with new foods after having been tube-fed in her early life. Ms Mahbuba also hopes Aara will learn to speak Bengali, but worries she needs exposure to the language from people besides her parents. "Sometimes, I feel really sad," she said. "I feel like there is ... » Learn More about Bonding with a child born during pandemic times

THE Terengganu Health Department has conducted inspections at 5,478 eateries statewide to monitor compliance with recovery movement control order standard operating procedures. Its director Dr Nor Azimi Yunus said that during the operation that began on March 13 and ended on April 5, the department issued six compounds amounting to RM26,000 to customers who did not wear face masks while they were at the eateries. “Five of the six compounds totalling RM4,015 have been paid, ” she told reporters after observing the level of SOP compliance at several restaurants in Kuala Terengganu. Dr Nor Azimi urged the people of Terengganu to immediately register for the Covid-19 vaccine as the number of people who have registered was still low at around 27% only. “The public can also register their parents or other dependants as vaccine recipients through the MySejahtera application. “This is to facilitate registration of those who do not own a smartphone, ” she said. The public can also ... » Learn More about Over 5,000 eateries checked for SOP compliance