MANILA - The 10 close contacts of the first monkeypox case in the country are still undergoing the required quarantine period. "And [they] have remained asymptomatic," the Department of Health told reporters on Thursday in a Viber message. On July 29, the DOH reported the first monkeypox case - a 31-year-old Filipino who arrived from overseas on July 19. "To date, there has been no new case of monkeypox in the country," the DOH said. The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared public health emergency over America because it is one of the countries with the most number of monkeypox cases. Unlike coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), monkeypox is spread through close or intimate contact with someone infected. In a televised public briefing Thursday, former National Task Force Against Covid-19 adviser, Dr. Ted Herbosa, said the government
VULNERABLE SECTOR. The San Juan City government starts administering second booster shots for medical front-liners and senior citizens at the V-Mall in Greenhills, San Juan City on Friday (May 20, 2022). Health authorities strongly advise availing of booster shots as the efficacy of primary doses and first booster wane over time. (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon) MANILA - The government's health authorities will make sure that the gains of the Covid-19 vaccination program and other pandemic responses would be sustained by turning over all programs to the next administration. National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 medical adviser, Dr. Ted Herbosa, said during Saturday's "Laging Handa" briefing that the whole pandemic response program of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the NTF, including disease surveillance and the prevention, detection, isolation, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies, would be handed ove
MANILA COVID-19 FIELD HOSPITAL. The Manila Covid-19 Field Hospital in this file photo. The government and health authorities are monitoring the situation of "long Covid" cases in the country, National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 medical adviser, Dr. Ted Herbosa, said Saturday (May 21, 2022).(PNA file photo by Ben Briones) MANILA - The government and health authorities are monitoring the situation of "long Covid" cases in the country, according to Dr. Ted Herbosa, National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 medical adviser. Herbosa confirmed Saturday that the Philippines has already had cases of those "long-haulers" or people experiencing medium to long-term effects after recovering from Covid-19 infection. "Nag-uumpisa nang i-identify iyan dahil na-identify ito sa ibang bansa ng WHO, ng United Kingdom, ng US. Nag-uumpisa nang nakakakita ang ating mga doktor sa ospital ng mga cases niyan (It is beginning to be identified because it has been identi
SUPERSPREADER. Campaign rallies such as this undated gathering alarm health experts of a possible surge in Covid-19 infections. As of Friday (May 13, 2022), the National Task Force Against Covid-19 said it has yet to receive data that will indicate a surge. (PNA file photo) MANILA - The government has not yet seen any surge or outbreak in new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases but warned it is still a possibility. National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 special medical adviser, Dr. Ted Herbosa, said Friday that the result of mass gatherings before the elections have yet to come in. "Well, we're waiting. It's because the incubation period for any outbreak to happen ay within three to five days. Iyan ang sabi ng ating mga (That's according to our) infectious disease specialists. So ito na iyon, this time iyong puwedeng dumami ang number of cases (So that's the time when the number of cases will increase)," he said in a televised public briefing. "
(File photo of Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) MANILA - The government is now at a "sentinel surveillance" stage in assessing the country's Covid-19 pandemic situation. National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 medical adviser, Dr. Ted Herbosa, said in a televised public briefing on Friday that the Department of Health (DOH) and the NTF are no longer monitoring the daily number of new cases. Instead, they are focusing their attention on protecting the vulnerable population against the disease. According to experts, sentinel surveillance is a study of disease rates in a specific sector to estimate trends in a larger population. "Ito ang rason kung bakit siguro inuna natin sa second booster dose iyong ating mga immunocompromised sapagkat ngayon ang approach natin ay ang tinatawag na sentinel surveillance. Ang gusto nating bantayan [ay] iyong mga na-oospital at [mga] namamatay (This might be the reason why we prioritized the administration of a second booster dose to our immu