ASTRAZENECA FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF INCREASED BLOOD CLOT RISK FROM VACCINE
AstraZeneca Plc said on Sunday a review of safety data of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
AstraZeneca's review, which covered more than 17 million people vaccinated in the United Kingdom and European Union, comes after health authorities in some countries suspended the use of its vaccine over clotting issues.
"A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country," the company said.
Authorities in Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended the use of the vaccine over clotting issues, while Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots last week while investigating a death from coagulation disorders.
European Medicines Agency has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organization on Friday.
The drugmaker said, 15 events of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism have been reported so far, which is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines.
The company said additional testing has and is being conducted by the company and the European health authorities and none of the re-tests have shown cause for concern. The monthly safety report will be made public on the EMA website in the following week, AstraZeneca said.
FLAG: 61 LAWYERS SLAIN IN DUTERTE TERM — HIGHER THAN KILLINGS FROM MARCOS TO AQUINO ADMINS
MANILA — The number of lawyers killed in nearly five years into the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is higher than murders in the legal profession combined in the past six administrations spanning 44 years, a list collated by the Free Legal Assistance Group showed.
FLAG has tallied 61 lawyers slain since June 2016, while a total of 26 killings of lawyers were recorded since 1972, during the Martial Law rule of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to 2016, end of administration of former President Benigno Aquino III, Duterte’s predecessor.
A separate list culled from the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice, first provided to Rappler, showed 49 killings from Marcos to Benigno Aquino III administration. The number is still higher than the murders recorded just five years into the Duterte administration.
Broken down, data from FLAG showed seven lawyers killed or disappeared in Marcos rule; nine in the administration of the later Corazon Aquino; none in former President Fidel Ramos’ administration; two in former President Joseph Estrada’s term; nine in former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration, and one in Aquino’s term.
FLAG Metro Manila coordinator Theodore Te acknowledged that there may have been more killings under Marcos’ martial law rule. “The list is not intended to be comprehensive, it is far as we know. There are more names that are certainly not there,” he said.
Te added: “Killings over private disputes by private persons are not included as they wouldn’t directly cover a violation of human rights.”
COVID-19 CASES RISING: MORE NCR HOSPITALS ON FULL CAPACITY 'JUST LIKE LAST YEAR'
MANILA - Several hospitals in Metro Manila on Monday said their intensive care units are already fully occupied due to the surge of COVID-19 patients exactly a year after the national government placed Luzon under lockdown.
St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig is "completely full," Dr. Benjamin Campomanes, its chief medical officer, told TeleRadyo.
"In Global City, 33 ang nag-aantay sa ER for a COVID room," he said.
"Medyo mabigat tayo ngayon... Kung ano 'yung [numbers noong] mga August, parang ganun na naman. Madami ulit," he said.
The Quezon City General Hospital has been "fully booked" since last week, according to Dr. Josephine Sabando.
"Sa ngayon po nagdagdag na kami ng manpower sa aming COVID areas. Nagdagdag na po kami ng doctors at nurses para ma-augment," she said.
The Philippine General Hospital was forced to open a new ward to accommodate more COVID-19 patients, said Dr. Jonas Del Rosario, the hospital's spokesperson.
The Philippines confirmed 4,899 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing active cases to 48,157, a year since the government imposed an enhanced community quarantine in the country's largest and most populated landmass to curb the transmission of the disease.
GOVERNMENT SAYS COVID-19 VACCINATION DRIVE ON TRACK AS CASES SURGE
MANILA - The Philippines is on track with its COVID-19 inoculation drive, the head of the government's vaccine strategy said on Sunday, addressing criticisms the rollout has been slow as worries grow about a surge in new cases.
The Department of Health reported 4,899 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, a day after recording the largest single-day increase in more than six months with 5,000 additional infections.
The latest tally brought the country's total confirmed cases to 621,498, among the highest in Asia, with the reported death toll increasing by 63 to 12,829.
Carlito Galvez, who is in charge of the government's vaccine procurement programme, said almost 90 percent of the more than 1 million doses that arrived so far had been deployed nationwide.
"(The government) is on track in implementing its immunization program and optimistic that it would be able to achieve its target of inoculating about 70 percent of the country's population within this year," Galvez said in a statement.
‘VACCINATION PACE TO PICK UP BY Q2’
MANILA — The government has vowed to speed up the pace of immunization against COVID-19 upon the arrival of more doses by the middle of the second quarter of this year.
In a joint statement, the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) assured the public that the pace at which healthcare workers (HCWs) are prioritized for inoculation would not be the pace once the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program (NVP) is implemented at full scale.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the vaccination of HCWs is being done in batches to ensure that hospitals are fully operational and their hospital staff sufficient at any given time.
“In anticipation of local and systemic reactions that can occur as a result of vaccination and may render some vaccinees unable to report to work, hospitals needed to spread out the vaccination of their staff,” Duque said.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez maintained that the government immunization program is on track and the target of inoculating 70 percent of the country’s population will be reached within the year.
“To date, almost 90 percent of the vaccines we have on hand have already been deployed within the past two weeks. They have already been dispatched to far-flung areas such as Batanes in northern Luzon, and to the southernmost island province of Tawi-tawi in Mindanao,” he said in a statement.
‘VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, MYANMAR SURPASSING PHILIPPINES’
MANILA — Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, despite their respective political upheavals, will overtake the Philippines in terms of economic progress if Filipinos continue to resist opening up the economy to draw more foreign direct investments (FDIs), according to Albay Rep. Joey Salceda.
“Vietnam began to overtake us in FDI-to-GDP by 1990, just three years after Doi Moi (reforms) and the 1987 Constitution,” Salceda, an economist, said in his speech titled “The Philippines and Vietnam: A Tale of Two Countries.”
The ravages of the 21-year Vietnam War that ended in 1975 did not stop Hanoi from making itself one of the most progressive economies in Southeast Asia, even surpassing the Philippines in per capita income along with foreign direct investments or FDIs, he said before Congress.
Salceda, who chairs the House of Representatives’ ways and means committee, made this realistic pitch as the chamber under the leadership of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco deliberates on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 2 that will amend very prohibitive economic provisions of the Constitution.
“Vietnam was so successful in attracting FDIs with its market openness that in the next decade, starting this year, the average Vietnamese will now be richer than the average Filipino,” Salceda said.
“(The) Vietnamese have exceeded us, and soon, the Cambodians and the Burmese (Myanmar) will also exceed us, because we have tied our hands behind our backs... We should not have tied our own hands behind our backs in attracting FDIs,” he added.
The Philippines’ underdevelopment in the midst of a globalized age is “self-inflicted,” according to Salceda, as he argued for the necessity of opening up the economy.
“It’s time to stop hurting ourselves, and to start moving forward,” he said.
“The only problem is that we have not opened nearly enough, while Vietnam opened its economy much more significantly. Because they opened more doors, they got more opportunities,” he added.
LGU YET TO ESTABLISH IF SINAS BROKE COVID-19 PROTOCOL UNDER RELAXED TRAVEL RULES
MANILA - Philippine National Police chief Gen. Debold Sinas was allowed to travel to Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro under government's relaxed COVID-19 travel measures, its mayor said Monday.
Sinas was found to have skipped triage during his trip to the province on the day of his positive coronavirus test result, according to the local government.
The Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19 had standardized requirements for tourists and removed documents such as travel authority, medical certificate, and quarantine if they show no symptoms.
Sinas had registered online and received confirmation for his travel from the local government, said Mayor Arnan Panaligan.
The PNP, however, did not coordinate Sinas' arrival with the city government, he added.
"Nag-relax na kasi ang IATF sa kanilang rules sa travel...Hindi pa naman ma-establish ang violation of protocols kasi ang required lang naman ay online registration atsaka confirmation. Dumaan siya sa prosesong 'yun," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
"'Yung coordination, siguro kasi PNP affair 'yan kaya hindi na kami kasama sa programa."
Sinas on March 9 took a confirmatory swab test ahead of his visit to Calapan City which turned out negative, Panaligan said. The PNP chief on March 11 took another swab test for his visit to Palawan, which turned out positive, according to the mayor.
Sinas also did not undergo health screening upon his arrival, which he can be held accountable for, said Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor.
The PNP should have undergone screening by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the city government because he had arrived via helicopter, Dolor said.
TAAL VOLCANO GENERATES 252 VOLCANIC QUAKES; ALERT LEVEL 2 STAYS: PHIVOLCS
MANILA - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Monday maintained alert level 2 over Taal Volcano after it generated 252 volcanic earthquakes in the last 24 hours.
Under alert level 2, the volcano is seen to be under "increased unrest" as activities within the crater "indicate increased magmatic activity at shallow depths beneath the edifice," Phivolcs said in its 8 a.m. advisory.
"Sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within the Taal Volcano Island," it said.
Towns surrounding the Taal Lake have been advised to "continuously assess and strengthen the preparedness of previously evacuated barangays around Taal Lake in case of renewed unrest," Phivolcs said.
THE REST
========
4.8K NEW CASES ON MARCH 14
The Philippines on Sunday, March 14 recorded 4,899 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 621,498.
Active cases: 48,157 or 7.7% of the total cases
Recoveries: 13,371, pushing total to 560,512
Deaths: 63, bringing total to 12,829
METRO MANILA CURFEW TO AFFECT VIRUS REPRODUCTION RATE: OCTA RESEARCH
MANILA - The effect of Metro Manila's 2-week curfew to curb COVID-19 spread will manifest this week, the OCTA Research Group said Monday, the first anniversary of the capital region's travel restriction due to the pandemic.
President Rodrigo Duterte last year restricted the movement of 12.8 million people in Metro Manila after 52 coronavirus infections were reported. A year later, the Philippines has tallied some 621,498 COVID-19 cases.
The OCTA Research Group forecasts the country might record up to 8,000 daily new COVID-19 cases by the end of the month, and 18,000 to 20,000 by mid-April if the current reproduction rate of 1.9 to 2 does not change.
In Metro Manila, daily virus cases could reach 5,000 to 6,000 by end of March and 14,000 by mid-April, OCTA Research fellow Guido David earlier said.
"Definitely makakatulong lahat ng paraan na mabawasan natin ang mga tao sa labas. 'Yung social gathering dapat 'wag muna 'yan," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo Monday.
"Makikita natin ang epekto nito this week kasi this week magsisimula 'yan. Inaasahan naman naming bababa 'yan, may effect naman talaga 'yan sa reproduction number talaga kahit hindi ganun kalaki."
"Ang sinabi ko dun baka mag-2 week Holy Week tayo, 2 linggo ng pagdadasal baka makatulong yan. 'Yung lockdown s'yempre desisyon 'yan ng national government," he said.
VICO SOTTO IN QUARANTINE AFTER DRIVER DIES DUE TO COVID-19
MANILA - Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto on Monday said he is on quarantine after his driver died of COVID-19 last week.
The mayor said he was last exposed to his driver on Wednesday before the patient was admitted to the hospital after showing symptoms of COVID-19.
"Hindi muna ako makakapasok sa trabaho at kina-cancel ko muna ang mga appointment at meeting. Kung maaari ay via Viber at Zoom muna," Sotto announced on his Facebook page.
The mayor said he underwent COVID-19 testing on Sunday and is still waiting for its results.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
MUSIC'S STARS STAGE BIG RETURN TO RED CARPET FOR GRAMMYS
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards were held Sunday night on CBS. Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony from the Los Angeles Convention Center, just across the street from the award show's usual home at the Staples Center. As with other award shows held during the pandemic, there was no live audience for the Grammys this year, save for a limited number of performers and nominees.
Performers at the event included Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Beyoncé led the field with nine nominations and, after picking up the 28th Grammy win of her career, she broke the record for the most Grammy wins ever by a female artist and most Grammy wins ever by a singer. Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch and Swift each scored six nominations themselves, and Swift took home her third Album of the Year award.
Below is the list of nominees and winners.
Record of the Year
"Everything I Wanted" — Billie Eilish — Winner
"Black Parade" — Beyoncé
"Colors" — Black Pumas
"Rockstar" — DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
"Say So" — Doja Cat
"Don't Start Now" — Dua Lipa
"Circles" — Post Malone
"Savage" — Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Album of the Year
"Folklore" — Taylor Swift — Winner
"Chilombo" — Jhené Aiko
"Black Pumas" (Deluxe Edition) — Black Pumas
"Everyday Life" — Coldplay
"Djesse Vol. 3" — Jacob Collier
"Women in Music Pt. III" — Haim
"Future Nostalgia" — Dua Lipa
"Hollywood's Bleeding" — Post Malone
Song of the Year
"I Can't Breathe" — H.E.R. — Winner
"Black Parade" — Beyoncé
"The Box" — Roddy Ricch
"Cardigan" — Taylor Swift
"Circles" — Post Malone
"Don't Start Now" — Dua Lipa
"Everything I Wanted" — Billie Eilish
"If the World Was Ending" — JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels
Best New Artist
Megan Thee Stallion — Winner
Ingrid Andress
Phoebe Bridgers
Noah Cyrus
Chika
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
Best Pop Solo Performance
"Watermelon Sugar" — Harry Styles — Winner
"Yummy" — Justin Bieber
"Say So" — Doja Cat
"Everything I Wanted" — Billie Eilish
"Don't Start Now" — Dua Lipa
"Cardigan" — Taylor Swift
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Rain on Me" — Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande — Winner
"Un Dia (One Day)" — J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy
"Intentions" — Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
"Dynamite" — BTS
"Exile" — Taylor Swift featuring Bon Iver
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
"American Standard" — James Taylor — Winner
"Blue Umbrella" — Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian
"True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter" — Harry Connick Jr.
"Unfollow the Rules" — Rufus Wainwright
"Judy" — Renée Zellweger
Best Pop Vocal Album
"Future Nostalgia" — Dua Lipa — Winner
"Changes" — Justin Bieber
"Chromatica" — Lady Gaga
"Fine Line" — Harry Styles
"Folklore" — Taylor Swift
SPORTS
NBA SCORES MARCH 13
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Knicks 20-19 22 34 32 31 119
Thunder 16-22 31 23 24 19 97
SCORING LEADERS
R. Barrett NY
32 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST
A. Horford OKC
16 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Raptors 17-21 24 28 21 31 104
Hornets 19-18 44 23 31 16 114
SCORING LEADERS
K. Lowry TOR
19 PTS, 6 REB, 8 AST
L. Ball CHA
23 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pistons 10-28 22 24 20 29 95
Nets 26-13 26 25 27 22 100
SCORING LEADERS
J. Grant DET
22 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
J. Harden BKN
24 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Bucks 24-14 36 28 30 31 125
Wizards 14-23 33 32 30 24 119
SCORING LEADERS
G. Antetokounmpo MIL
33 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST
R. Westbrook WAS
42 PTS, 10 REB, 12 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Kings 15-23 33 18 30 25 106
Hawks 18-20 22 39 37 23 121
SCORING LEADERS
D. Fox SAC
32 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST
T. Young ATL
28 PTS, 1 REB, 9 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Trail Blazers 22-15 33 33 27 32 125
Timberwolves 8-30 24 33 37 27 121
SCORING LEADERS
C. Anthony POR
26 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST
K. Towns MIN
34 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Mavericks 20-17 28 34 31 23 116
Nuggets 22-16 29 22 22 30 103
SCORING LEADERS
K. Porzingis DAL
25 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST
N. Jokic DEN
26 PTS, 8 REB, 11 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pacers 17-20 29 33 35 25 122
Suns 25-12 33 24 20 34 111
SCORING LEADERS
M. Brogdon IND
25 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST
D. Booker PHO
20 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. - Walt Disney
Comments (0)