TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Health has turned over a temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in Biliran.
In Biliran, the turnover ceremony was graced by DOH-8 Assistant Regional Director Dr. Rodolfo Antonio Albornoz, Provincial DOH headed by Dr. Carlo Nartea, Vice Governor Brigido Caneja III, Naval Mayor Gerard Roger Espina, Dr. Joyce Caneja, chief of hospital for Biliran Provincial Hospital, and Dr. Edgar Veloso, provincial health officer.
The TTMF, located at the Biliran Provincial Hospital, is a 15-bed capacity that can cater to possible, suspected, probable, and confirmed COVID-19 patients with mild and moderate symptoms.
The TTMF aims to help in decongesting hospitals from COVID-19 infected patients who has mild to moderate symptoms.
In the wake of COVID-19 surge in the region, the DOH-8 had called for the local government units to treat their mild to moderate cases in their respective TTMF to avoid congestion of the hospitals.
At present, the hospital bed utilization rate in Biliran stand at 36.59% or classified as ‘low’ by the DOH.
Biliran has been classified under Alert Level 2 by Malacanang for the entire month of February.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
DOH turned over COVID-19 facility to Biliran province
NTF-ELCAC statement on the endorsement of Makabayan bloc to the presidential bid of Robredo
It says bloc is a front of the communist terror group
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict(NTF-ELCAC) has been unstinting in telling the Filipino people the truth; the ironically named Makabayan Bloc/KABAG Bloc is made up of urban operatives of the Communist Party of the Philippine- New People’s Army-National Democratic Front(CPP-NPA- NDF) who have managed to weasel their way into the House of Representatives by deceiving the Filipino people by not telling them who it they truly are: members of the terrorist CPP NPA NDF whose overarching goal is the destruction of government through violent means and the supplanting of our democracy with a failed and obsolete ideology: communism.
That they have officially endorsed Vice President Leni Robredo as their presidential candidate means they are hoping to forge a strong alliance with the VP if she wins the Presidency to further their rotten agenda: the violent overthrow of government and the perpetuation of the sufferings of our people.
The CPP- NPA- NDF is now on its last throes of life – thanks to our government’s whole of nation approach via EO 70 and thanks even more to the Filipino people who have rallied behind government in ending this 53 year communist pestilence in our country.
If the VP accepts this endorsement, she is giving these communist terrorists the strength they badly and desperately need to once again sow grief and pain on our people.
And she would have conferred on this terrorist organization a veneer of legitimacy and respectability to continue and intensify their terrorist activities: the radicalization of our youth, their recruitment into the NPA fold, terrorist financing, kidnapping, human trafficking, the murder of innocent civilians, our indigenous peoples and of our men and women in uniform.
She does not even need to win as President.
It is enough that she accepts the endorsement of this terrorist organization.
Such is the power of the high office she holds.
If, however, she rejects the damnable endorsement of the communist terrorist CPP NPA NDF, she would have given the Filipino people a strong message that even though we may have differences in our political beliefs, the Vice President of the land will solidly stand in complete defense of the Filipino people- as she has sworn to do.
Either way, Leni Robredo will show very clearly to the Filipino people who it is she truly is: a faithful public servant worthy of our trust or a traitor to her own country and who must never get within striking distance of the presidency. (PR)
Power back in 110 of 500 Southern Leyte villages
TACLOBAN CITY – Electricity has been restored in 110 out of 500 villages in Southern Leyte after more than a month of power outage caused by Typhoon Odette.
The Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) reported on Sunday that as of January 28, at least 36,016 houses and establishments have been energized out of the 105,787 affected power consumers.
“As of this posting, 21.87 percent of villages are already partially energized within the coverage area of Soleco. Per consumer status, 34.05 percent are already energized,” Soleco said in its report.
These partially-energized communities are in Maasin City, Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Sogod, Liloan, Saint Bernard, San Juan, Hinunangan, and Silago towns.
Towns that are still in darkness are, Malitbog, Libagon, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, Anahawan, Hinundayan, and Limasawa.
Soleco is expected to fully restore its services in mid-February.
Task Force Kapatid, composed of personnel from electric cooperatives in Eastern Visayas, has deployed over 100 linemen to repair damaged distribution facilities.
They are augmented by teams from power cooperatives in Luzon.
The Department of Energy has set March for the full restoration of power in Southern Leyte.
The power supply was severely affected after the province was pummeled by Odette on December 16, 2021 with Soleco placing the damages at P723.48 million as power poles were toppled down.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)
DOH targets over 1 million for 3-day vax campaign
(ALFRED ROMUALDEZ FACEBOOK)
The regional campaign starts Monday
TACLOBAN CITY- At least a million individuals across the region are being targeted of the three-day vaccination campaign of the Department of Health (DOH) which started Monday (Jan. 31).
With this regional vaccination, the DOH expects that almost 100 percent of the total population of the region could receive the much needed vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Out of the region’s more than 4.86 million people, around 53.3 percent of them have received the vaccine either for first dose or second dose.
On Monday, the three-day regional vaccination drive started with the DOH reporting of 60 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest daily new cases since the start of the year.
Still, the decrease of new cases should not be considered that the COVID-19 cases in the region are slowing down, Jelyn Lopez Malibago, DOH regional information officer, said.
The 60 new cases for COVID-19 was its lowest since the start of the year which also saw the region posting a record-breaking 879 cases last Jan. 20.
Since the start of the year, the region posted its lowest daily cases on Jan.2 with just three cases. Since then, its daily cases have been in the upward.
“It is still early to say that our cases are on a decline. These 60 new cases are just from the 273 samples tested (from two COVID-19 testing laboratories),” Malibago said.
The region has four COVID-19 laboratories with a new one in Southern Leyte still not operating.
Of the 60 new cases, 46 were from Leyte province of which Tacloban City posting 16 new cases; six from Southern Leyte; four in Eastern Samar; three in Samar; and one from Biliran.
Its total active cases are now at 2,354.
Malacanang has announced that the provinces of Biliran and Southern Leyte will be placed under Alert Level 2 beginning tomorrow, Feb.1 while the rest of the region to include its capital city of Tacloban will be categorized under a stricter Alert Level 3.
The DOH said that they hope that those who remain unvaccinated due to some reason will avail the three-day vaccination drive.
Aside from the unvaccinated, target for this three-day activity are those with due missed doses and booster doses.
“With the active implementation of vaccination activities supported by local government units in the region, we highly encourage the public to get vaccinated,” the DOH said on its bulletin.
“As we proceed to giving additional or booster doses, the DOH reiterates the importance of prioritizing vaccination among those who are yet to receive their primary series as our goal in achieving herd immunity remains in action,” it added.
Here in Tacloban City, aside from the Tacloban city astrodome, the sites for the massive campaign will be the City Health Office, Robinsons Place, and several barangay health units and gymnasiums.
DOH said Tacloban City has reached 68 percent, Ormoc City with 66.5 percent, Biliran with 65.3 percent, Southern Leyte with 57.5 percent, Eastern Samar with 55.6 percent, Leyte with 51.1 percent, Northern Samar with 47.6 percent, and Western Samar with 47.3 percent of its actual population being vaccinated with at least one dose.
Meanwhile, 62.1 percent of the total population in Biliran are now fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines, followed by Tacloban City with 60.9 percent, 57.8 percent in Ormoc City, 50 percent in Eastern Samar, 48.7 percent in Southern Leyte, 43.4 percent in Leyte, 39.7 percent in Western Samar, and 37.5 percent in Northern Samar.
Northern Samar provincial board passes ordinance barring unvaxxed to go out homes except for essential or health reasons
TACLOBAN CITY – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Northern Samar has approved on third and final reading an ordinance that restricts the movements of unvaccinated individuals in the province.
The measure is part of the response of the provincial government amid increasing cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Northern Samar.
The ordinance, which was approved last January 21 regular session of the provincial board, prohibits all unvaccinated individuals from leaving their houses except when accessing for essential goods or accessing medical and health services.
Unvaccinated individuals are also prohibited from going to restaurants, hotels, malls, sports event venues, gyms, and other commercial establishments.
Employees who are unvaccinated will have to present a negative RT-PCR every two weeks before they are allowed to return or report to their work.
The ordinance also encourages all establishments and offices in the province to display a “no vaccination card, no entry,” signage.
The ordinance will take it effectively once the Provincial Legal Office and the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force and the Office of SP Secretary craft the implementing rules and regulation (IRR), and publication in general circulation.
Northern Samar is the first local government unit in Eastern Visayas that creates a local law imposing restrictions on movements of unvaccinated individuals.
Prior to the approval of the enactment of this ordinance, Governor Edwin Ongchuan had issued a local executive order restricting movements of unvaccinated individuals.
The order covers not only access to private and public establishments but also prohibits unvaccinated residents from using public transport
Based on the data from the Department of Health, Northern Samar is on the bottom in vaccination status at 284,877 individuals 60.2% who had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines while 214, 105 or 45.3% are fully vaccinated.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)