SunStar Editorial: Resurrecting public health
FIGHTING FATIGUE. Tired of hearing about the pandemic and measures like the ECQ, many citizens have to be convinced to do their share in the stake to promote public health. Local government units, particularly barangays, must take the lead in intensifying strategies to educate about mass testing, vaccination, and basic health precautions. (SunStar file)
+ April 04, 2021 DIFFERENCES in perspectives determine whether community quarantines are effective in the containment of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
On the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), President Rodrigo Duterte approved extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) of the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus bubble, which will start on April 5 and end on April 11.
SunStar Editorial: Touching other niños
REACH OUT. In the feast of the Sto. Niño de Cebu, which many Cebuanos regard as the culmination of the Christmas season and the launch of the year, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma’s message of union and solidarity with the marginalized is worth putting into practice during a pandemic that exacts distancing, isolation and community quarantine. / Sunstar File
+ January 17, 2021 In a brightly lit but sparsely occupied Basilica, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma delivered the most important message towards the end of a stirring homily given during the Solemn Pontifical and Concelebrated Mass that opened the 456th feast of the Sto. Niño on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021.
SunStar Editorial: Countering vaccine fear
Is it safe? Citizens express deeply held anxieties and fears about vaccination against Covid-19, needs that must be addressed by the authorities and other stakeholders through community-based information, education and communication. (SunStar file)
+ December 20, 2020 THE focus for public health should be two-pronged: reinforcing the public’s observance of safety protocols to prevent a surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) during the holidays and conducting a vaccination program to inform, educate and involve citizens in what may be the most crucial health advocacy of our time.
An information, education and communication (IEC) link underlies the successes and failures encountered by communities and governments in containing and even eliminating the pandemic. Topping the Covid Resilience Ranking of Bloomberg as of Nov. 23, New Zealand relied on border control, testing, contact tracing a