CHINESE COVID-19 VACCINE SINOPHARM GETS WHO EMERGENCY APPROVAL

Recommends Sinopharm for all ages above 18, in two doses

GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) approved a COVID-19 vaccine from China's state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm for emergency use on Friday, a boost to Beijing's push for a big role in inoculating the world.

The vaccine, one of two main Chinese coronavirus vaccines that have been given to hundreds of millions of people in China and elsewhere, is the first developed by a non-Western country to win WHO backing.

It is also the first time the WHO has given emergency use approval to a Chinese vaccine for any infectious disease. Earlier this week, separate WHO experts had expressed concern about the quality of data the company provided on side effects.

A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators that a product is safe and effective. It also allows it to be included in COVAX, a global program to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries, which has hit supply problems.

"This expands the list of COVID-19 vaccines that COVAX can buy, and gives countries confidence to expedite their own regulatory approval, and to import and administer a vaccine," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing.

Senior WHO adviser Bruce Aylward said it would be up to Sinopharm to say how many doses of its vaccine it can provide to the program, but added: "They are looking at trying to provide substantial support, make substantial doses available while at the same time of course trying to serve China's population."

The WHO had already given emergency approval to COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and, last week, Moderna.

The decision to approve Sinopharm's vaccine was taken by WHO's technical advisory group, which began meeting on April 26 to review the latest clinical data as well as Sinopharm's manufacturing practices.

"Its easy storage requirements make it highly suitable for low-resource settings," a WHO statement said.

Tedros said that, following the approval, its separate Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) had recommended that adults over 18 receive two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.

"On the basis of all available evidence, WHO recommends the vaccine for adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of three to four weeks," the WHO statement said.

PHILIPPINES OKS USE OF ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE FOR THOSE BELOW 60

MANILA - The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said local governments may resume the use of AstraZeneca vaccines on individuals aged below 60, saying there have been no reports of post-vaccination blood clotting in the Philippines.

The DOH earlier suspended the use of the European-made vaccines on Filipinos below 60 after several countries reported incidents or blood clotting after using AstraZeneca's COVID-19 jabs.

"To date, no local VITT (vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia) events have been confirmed," the DOH said in a statement.

"It was concluded that there are currently no known risk factors for VITT and that the benefits of receiving the vaccine against COVID-19 still outweighs the risk," it said.

VITT is a very rare condition of blood clots associated with low platelet counts that can occur 4 to 28 days after receiving a viral vector vaccine such as AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot.

While post-vaccination blood clotting is rare, the DOH issued guidelines "so that the risks can be mitigated."

"All vaccination sites should have a strengthened post-vaccination surveillance to spot possible adverse events following immunization," the agency said.

"All health care workers in vaccination sites will be trained to detect and manage possible symptoms of VITT and refer them accordingly to the appropriate health facility for definitive work-up and management," it said.

The announcement comes a day before 2 million AstraZeneca jabs from the COVAX facility were expected to reach the Philippines.

IVERMECTIN FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION GETS FDA APPROVAL BUT NOT FOR COVID-19

MANILA — The Food and Drug Administration granted a local pharmaceutical company’s application to register its ivermectin for human use, paving the way for it to be manufactured, distributed and sold.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo told reporters they gave Lloyd Laboratories a certificate of product registration for ivermectin “after they submitted data to support quality and stability of the product.”

With the approval, Lloyd Laboratories’ ivermectin can be purchased with a prescription. The drug, however, is indicated as an anti-parasitic and is still not registered for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

Ten medical societies, along with the Department of Health and the FDA have examined six clinical trials on ivermectin and found that it did not significantly reduce deaths or improve other clinical outcomes among COVID-19 patients. Clinical trials on its use, however, are ongoing worldwide, including one in the country under President Rodrigo Duterte’s orders.

PANDEMIC TASK FORCE ALLOWS POINT-TO-POINT AIR TRAVEL FOR LEISURE FROM ‘NCR PLUS’

MANILA — The government’s pandemic task force has allowed point-to-point air travel from the so-called “NCR Plus” area for leisure purposes in a bid to revive economic activity in tourist destinations that took a major blow due to the pandemic.

“The point-to-point air travel is a temporary means to gradually revive the tourism industry, provide relief to tourism enterprises and generate livelihood to some of the displaced workers in the tourism sector,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

Only chartered flights that would take tourists of all ages, except pregnant women and those under quarantine, from an airport in NCR Plus directly to the hotel or resort and back, including short and direct private transfers by land or water, are allowed under a new administrative order from the Department of Tourism.

Travelling from NCR Plus to a tourism destination by land or sea, or flying on non-chartered flights is still prohibited.

Only hotels and resorts accredited by the DOT in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified GCQ that have been given a certificate of authority to operate for point-to-point travel may accommodate guests under the new scheme.

CARPIO TO DEBATE ANYONE ON WEST PHILIPPINE SEA ‘POSSESSION’

MANILA — With a verbal square-off with President Duterte now out of the question following the latter’s change of heart, retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio said he is still willing to push through with the debate – even only with the Chief Executive’s alter egos.

“I am ready to debate with the President or with anyone he may designate on the factual accuracy and adverse legal implications to the Philippines of the President’s repeated claim that ‘China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea’,” Carpio said in a statement.

“I will debate with anyone on the false claim of Duterte that ‘China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea.’ I will take the negative side,” Carpio yesterday told The STAR.

“The US has returned the Balangiga bells in 2018. Now the biggest question is, when will China return Duterte’s balls?”

Carpio issued the statement shortly after Duterte backed out of his debate challenge to the former magistrate and assigned his spokesman Harry Roque to represent him instead.

BAYANIHAN 3 BILL INCLUDES P54 BILLION FOR RETIRED SOLDIERS

MANILA — The proposed Bayanihan 3 law in the House of Representatives, meant to provide cash aid or ayuda for all Filipinos, will include a P54.6-billion fund for retired soldiers, a proponent revealed yesterday.

Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo confirmed that the supplemental budget to augment the Pension and Gratuity Fund (PGF) for retired military and uniformed personnel (MUP) is included in the Bayanihan to Arise As One Act or Bayanihan 3 bill, which was approved in the committee level earlier this week and set to be passed upon resumption of session later this month.

The proposed P405.6-billion Bayanihan 3 is supposed to provide assistance to Filipinos affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a P2,000 ayuda for all 110 million Filipinos, in two tranches.

NEW PNP CHIEF ELEAZAR WARNS COPS VS ENFORCING PHYSICAL EXERCISE TO PUNISH QUARANTINE VIOLATORS

MANILA— The country’s top cop on Saturday said policemen may not enforce physical exercise to quarantine violators as only courts or local government units may impose penalties or fines.

Newly installed Philippine National Police chief Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the police force continues to remind unit commanders that quarantine violators must go through the right process.

“Hindi tayo pwedeng magbigay ng penalty. Only the court can give the penalty or in the case of the LGUs, itong mga fines, mga multa nila. So hindi pwedeng pag-exercisin 'yan. Hindi pwedeng bigyan ng anumang punishment 'yan,” said Eleazar, former Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander.

Eleazar has just been named as the 6th PNP chief under President Rodrigo Duterte’s term. He will be serving as head of the 220,000 strong police force for about 6 months until Nov. 13, when he reaches the PNP’s mandatory retirement age of 56.

“Sisiguraduhin po natin 'yan at mananagot ang ating unit commanders 'pag nilabag nila 'yan kaya magpapatawag ako ng command conference mamaya para ulitin itong mga dati pa na patakaran na,” he said in an interview on TeleRadyo on Saturday morning.

The death of Darren Peñaredondo of General Trias, Cavite went viral on social media as he was allegedly made to do 300 rounds of pumping exercise after being found outside during curfew hours along with 7 other people.

Eleazer said quarantine violators will be penalized with the right sanctions, based on local ordinances and guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 response.

COVID-19 STRICKEN SHIP FROM INDIA ARRIVES IN PHILIPPINES

MANILA — A Panama-flagged container vessel that stopped in India, with 12 of 21 Filipino crewmembers testing positive for COVID-19, was allowed to anchor off Sangley Point in Cavite City last Thursday after a request for “immediate medical evacuation.”

Two of those found positive are in critical condition and were rushed to an undisclosed facility while the 10 asymptomatic patients were brought to a hospital in Manila before 5 p.m. yesterday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

The rest of the crew remain on board the vessel that is under close watch to prevent the spread of the virus, which could be the virulent “double mutant” Indian variant B.1.617, in the Philippines.

“Ten crewmembers were extracted and brought to the hospital. They are all asymptomatic. They were extracted from the vessel, rode a tugboat and then an ambulance going to the hospital. They were allowed to disembark to prevent the spread of infection in the vessel,” said PCG Commander Michael Andag.

The M/V Athens Bridge docked in India and left on April 22. It sailed to Haiphong, Vietnam where the crewmembers were refused entry after arriving on May 1.

Andag said it was in Vietnam where all 21 crewmembers underwent RT-PCR tests.

He said Vietnamese authorities barred the Athens Bridge crew from disembarking after 12 were found positive for COVID, to avoid the spread of the virus in that country.

This prompted the vessel’s captain to sail to the Philippines in hopes of getting help, Andag pointed out, noting that all of the ship’s crew are Filipinos.

Sufficient security personnel, he added, were deployed to ensure that no unauthorized vessels or motorized bancas will approach the COVID-hit container vessel.

The nine crewmembers who tested negative for COVID-19 and who remain in the vessel are required to undergo RT-PCR test on their fifth day of stay in the country.

Andag said the Filipino crew and the vessel will be allowed to leave the country once they are cleared.

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PHILIPPINES' COVID-19 DEATHS BREACH 18,000; RECOVERIES TOP 1 MILLION

MANILA — The total number of people who died due to COVID-19 in the Philippines surpassed 18,000 Friday with 108 new deaths, while recoveries also breached the 1 million-mark, the health department announced on Friday.

The country's death toll due to the novel coronavirus stood at 18,099, accounting for 1.66 percent of the overall tally.

Friday's new fatalities include 64 cases initially tagged as recovered, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Meanwhile, there were 7,733 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the country's total recorded infections to 1,087,885.

According to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, the day's cases is the highest in 5 days.

Recoveries also increased by 4,227 to 1,003,160, making up the majority or 92.2 percent of the Philippines' running tally.

QUARANTINE, TESTING RULES FOR INBOUND TRAVELERS REVISED

MANILA — A mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travelers entering the Philippines has been imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), Malacañang confirmed yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the quarantine rule – 10 days in a facility and four days at home if negative for COVID-19 on the seventh day from arrival – is without prejudice to whether a traveler already got vaccinated in the country of origin.

Citing the IATF meeting last Thursday, Roque said the new protocol is aimed at preventing an India-like situation in which the health care system has collapsed due to the massive spread of an aggressive variant of the coronavirus.

“Other than the new protocols for mandatory 10-day quarantine facility and the conduct of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test on the seventh day, and the genome sequencing, we continue to increase our health care capacity,” Roque said.

He said the IATF has decided to step up the need for more quarantine facilities, ensuring a stable supply of medical oxygen and the stockpiling of drugs such as Remdesivir.

ISLAMIST REBELS STORM MAGUINDANAO TOWN, CLASH WITH STATE TROOPS

Government troops clashed with about 100 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) who stormed the town of Datu Paglas in Maguindanao on Saturday morning.

Initial reports said the military responded after learning about the presence of BIFF members who surrounded the town's public market.

"Isang araw na daw sila dito kasi nagpapahinga daw ang grupo nila. Na-monitor ng military. Pumasok ang grupo nila dito sa palengke pati sa Gawad Kalinga na residential house ng sibilyan. Wala naman silang hinostage na mga tao, nakipagbakbakan na lang sila sa military," said Vice Mayor Mohammad Paglas.

Stranded civilians were told to go home when the clash started. Videos captured from a road, meanwhile, showed residents fleeing to safety as armored personnel carrier rolled into town.

Meanwhile, the neighboring town of Buluan will enforce a temporary lockdown due to the encounter, according to Mayor Dhats Mangudadatu in an announcement on his Facebook page.

"No movement muna po until the situation is in control as will be announced by our PNP and AFP personnel," said Mangudadatu.

Authorities have yet to said if there were casualties from the encounter.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

#DOCTORFOSTERPH: JODI STA. MARIA LEADS CAST OF ‘THE BROKEN MARRIAGE VOW’

MANILA — Acclaimed actress Jodi Sta. Maria will lead the cast of the Philippine version of “Doctor Foster,” the hit BBC Studios drama that has been adapted in several countries.

Sta. Maria will portray Dr. Jill Ilustre (Dr. Gemma Foster in the original) in the upcoming ABS-CBN series, titled “The Broken Marriage Vow,” about a married couple whose family is rocked by her husband’s affair.

Joining Sta. Maria in the cast are Zanjoe Marudo as David Ilustre (Simon Foster), the husband; and Sue Ramirez as Lexy Lucero (Kate Parks), the mistress. Zaijan Jaranilla will play Jill and David’s only son, Gio Ilustre (Tom Foster), who is caught between his parents’ tug of war.

Directing “The Broken Marriage Vow” is Concepcion Macatuno, whose recent films include “Glorious” (2018) and “Malaya” (2020).

The Dreamscape Entertainment production is the sixth international adaptation of “Doctor Foster,” following its versions in France, Russia, Turkey, India, and South Korea.

The Korean remake, “The World of the Married,” became the country’s highest rated cable TV drama, and also courted a massive following from Filipino viewers. It was also aired locally by ABS-CBN.

SPORTS

PBA OKS BATANGAS VENUES FOR RESUMPTION OF PRACTICE

MANILA — The PBA has given the go signal for several venues in Batangas City to play host to practices and scrimmages beginning later this month.

This was what PBA commissioner Willie Marcial announced in a press conference on Friday, shortly after the IATF gave the green light for the league to conduct full practices and scrimmages in areas under GCQ and MGCQ.

"Nakita namin okay [siya], pasado sa standard namin. So magsisimula tayo dito magpractice," said Marcial of Batangas City Coliseum, Batangas State University, and Lyceum-Batangas.

The scrimmages, which can begin on May 18 at the earliest, will be temporarily set in the province as Metro Manila continues to be under a more stringent quarantine in MECQ.

However, if the National Capital Region, and nearby provinces, eventually shift into more relaxed quarantines and scrimmages are allowed, multiple venues within the Metro will also be tapped.

NBA SCORES MAY 6

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Bulls27-39         34        25        37        24        120

Hornets32-34    24        29        21        25        99

SCORING LEADERS

N. Vucevic CHI

29 PTS 14 REB 3 AST

P. Washington CHA

24 PTS 6 REB 2 AST

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Nets43-24         32        30        21        26        109

Mavericks38-28 37        26        19        31        113

SCORING LEADERS

K. Irving BKN

45 PTS 5 REB 4 AST

L. Doncic DAL

24 PTS 10 REB 8 AST

FINAL/OT

1          2          3          4          OT       T

Wizards31-36    31        20        31        33        16        131

Raptors27-40    33        27        26        29        14        129

SCORING LEADERS

B. Beal WAS

28 PTS 5 REB 5 AST

P. Siakam TOR

44 PTS 11 REB 7 AST

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Hawks37-31      26        32        38        30        126

Pacers31-35     36        36        38        23        133

SCORING LEADERS

T. Young ATL

30 PTS 4 REB 10 AST

C. LeVert IND

31 PTS 3 REB 12 AST

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Grizzlies33-33   32        17        21        27        97

Pistons20-47     31        27        20        33        111

SCORING LEADERS

J. Morant MEM

20 PTS 3 REB 5 AST

C. Joseph DET

18 PTS 4 REB 11 AST

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Lakers37-29      20        22        29        23        94

Clippers45-22    29        36        27        26        118

SCORING LEADERS

K. Kuzma LAL

25 PTS 5 REB 4 AST

P. George LAC

24 PTS 7 REB 5 AST

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Thunder21-46   24        25        23        25        97

Warriors34-33   31        30        27        30        118

SCORING LEADERS

T. Jerome OKC

23 PTS 4 REB 3 AST

S. Curry GS

34 PTS 4 REB 7 AST

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 47.85

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; and the end of the world is evidently approaching. - Assyrian clay tablet 2800 B.C.