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‘Hospitals near full capacity’ DOH puts 11 areas under highest alert as infections spread
By Willie Casas and Rio N. Araja
A
LL areas in Metro Manila are now classified as either highrisk or critical risk for COVID-19, the Department of Health said Friday as the disease continued to spread and hospital beds filled up, and the country hit a four-month high in both the number of new infections and active cases.
The Department of Health (DOH) put under Alert Level 4 the cities of Las Piñas, Malabon, Makati, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, San Juan, Quezon City, Taguig, and Valenzuela and the municipality of Pateros. Under Alert Level 3 were Caloocan, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Manila, Pasay
and Parañaque. Navotas and Pateros were classified as critical risk in terms of two-week virus growth rate at 352.25 percent and 266.35 percent, respectively. Hospitals in both cities are also 100 percent full according to the DOH. Intensive care units in nine Metro
Manila areas are over 70 percent full. Quezon City still has the most number of active COVID-19 cases at 4,453, followed by the City of Manila with 3,081, and Makati City with 2,012 patients. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the National Capital Next page
Funds ‘not lost to corruption’ but DOH has to do paper work—COA By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Willie Casas
THE Commission on Audit clarified on Friday it did not find “deficiencies” linked to corruption in its report on the P67.3 billion COVID-19
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HOSPITAL SITUATION.
Business bucks ECQ extension, fears health-livelihood crisis may worsen The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the biggest business group in the country, said a lockdown is not the only option to stop BUSINESSES oppose an extension of COVID-19 spread and may e v e n the two-week lockdown in Metro Manila, which is supposed to end Aug. 20.
By Othel V. Campos, Vito Barcelo and Francisco Tuyay
aggravate the health and livelihood crisis as it has in other countries. “COVID-19 pandemic is a pharmaceutical problem while a lockdown is a militaristic solution. Our economy is disfigured after many protracted lockdowns, yet the spread of COVID
continues,” said PCCI acting president Edgardo G. Lacson Friday, in reaction to talk of a five-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). He added that the Philippine economy has fallen into its deepest recession Next page
PhilHealth pays P12b, still owes another P12b
1,713,302 13,177
By Willie Casas
96,395
29,838
299
1,587,069
4,322
Several patients of the Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila have to lay by available space as medical personnel attend to them on August 13, 2021. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno says that the hospital is nearing full capacity, a grim situation that also holds true for other medical facilities in the metropolis with infections rising exponentially. Norman Cruz
THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has paid only half of the P25 billion worth of COVID19-related benefits claims it owes various hospitals. PhilHealth vice president for corporate affairs Shirley Domingo said COVID-19 claims included testing packages, community isolation unit benefits, and in-patient benefits. Domingo said a huge portion of unpaid COVID-19 claims were related to testing and some hospitals were unable to submit required documents, resulting in the delay in releasing payments. Malacañang on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte had asked PhilHealth to settle the billions of pesos worth of unpaid
(As of 4 PM, AUGUST 13) 24/7 JAB. Medical volunteers screen and
inoculate residents with COVID-19 vaccine during the continuing 24/7 vaccination drive of the local government at the University of Santo Tomas Gymnasium in Manila on Thursday night. Metro Manila has embarked on night vaccination in an effort to achieve a 70% jab rate, a level good enough to reach ‘herd immunity”. Norman Cruz
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Budget chief Avisado quits; ‘Breakthrough infection’ sickens only a few—FDA Duterte names Canda OIC
By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta
A COVID-19 infection is considFDA Director General Eric Doered a “breakthrough” if it occurs mingo, during a Department of Health (DOH) forum, said only 0.0013 US approves COVID boosters for patients percent or 116 breakthrough cases were recorded out of 9,115,963 with weakened immune systems fully vaccinated individuals as (Full story on B2) of Aug. 1.
FEWER than 1 percent of more than 9.1 million people who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of August have experienced a “breakthrough” infection, the Food and Drug more than 14 days after receipt of the second dose of a vaccine. Administration (FDA) said Friday.
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NCR mayors back unified vax card By Joel E. Zurbano METRO Manila mayors gave their full support to the government’s issuance of a unified vaccination card or certificate for fully inocu-
lated individuals. Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez said he and other local chief executives in the National Capital Region Next page
By Vito Barcelo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta BUDGET Secretary Wendel Avisado has resigned from his post due to medical reasons. The resignation has been accepted by President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said. Duterte designated Budget Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda as the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Department of Budget and Management, according to presidential spokesman Harry Roque. In the Senate, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Avisado’s sudden
Next page Avisado