COVID-19: Philippine hospitals struggle with COVID-19 surge
OVERWHELMED: The country has averaged more than 10,400 daily cases since the start of the month, with intensive care units 84 percent full as of Monday
Reuters, MANILA
Nick Yanez, a 28-year-old ambulance nurse in Metro Manila, said she sometimes spends six to seven hours in her emergency vehicle caring for a COVID-19 patient before a bed can be found in a hospital.
Already facing one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia, the Philippines has seen a second wave of infections that is stretching healthcare workers in the National Capital Region like never before.
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 16 The United States (U.S.) government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing the Philippines P170 million ($3.5 million) to support the Department of Health (DOH) in its COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
This new assistance, which brings total U.S. government support for the Philippines’ COVID-19 response to nearly P1.3 billion ($27 million), will strengthen the country’s health system and vaccine delivery efforts.
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law announced this new assistance during a visit to a vaccination site in Caloocan City with Philippine Secretary of Health Francisco Duque III, Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan, USAID Philippines Mission Director Lawrence Hardy II, and other U.S. and Philippine officials.
Published April 15, 2021, 12:59 PM
Halfway through 2020, doctors at The Medical City (TMC) evaluated and used stem cells from the umbilical cord of newborns for the treatment of severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
One year into the pandemic, cases are still rapidly rising in the Philippines. The Department of Health (DOH) on March 24, 2021 recorded an additional 6,666 COVID-19 cases, bringing the national caseload to 684,311 and 13,039 deaths.
Infection with COVID-19 has been identified to have two phases: a viral phase when the virus penetrates human cells and produces more viruses, and an inflammatory phase when the body’s immune reaction tries to contain the virus. In some cases, however, the inflammation goes out of control when immune cells release too many cytokines and cause damage to normal cells and tissues – called a “cytokine storm.” This leads to harmful effects on many organs of the body and can lead to death if left untreated.
Former Speaker of the House
The “Four Way Test,” of what we Rotarians think, say, or do in the Rotary Creed include the following:
First: “Is it the Truth?” Second: “Is it Fair to All Concerned?” Third: “Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendship?” Fourth: “Will it be Beneficial to All Concerned?”
In our country today there are 931 Rotary clubs and 26,275 members, who are occasional sources of support for community service projects throughout the Philippines.
Throughout the world there are some 35,000 Rotary clubs and 1,177,137 members, advancing one basic ideal, the “Ideal of Service.” To us, Manila Rotary Club’s (RCM) most valuable declaration made in earlier days was:
The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday announced 1,941 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, bringing the nationwide total to 535,521, as four laboratories failed to submit data on time.