Thursday, April 29, 2021
NCR can ease quarantine when daily COVID cases decline to 2,000: OCTA Research
Metro Manila can ease to general community quarantine when its COVID-19 daily average cases declines to less than 2,000 infections, OCTA Research Group said Thursday.
"We’re hoping the cases will be reduced to less than 2,000. If the number of daily average cases in NCR goes below 2,000 it will still a significant number but I believe we can still manage it even under GCQ," Professor Guido David told ANC's Headstart.
President Rodrigo Duterte has extended until May 14 the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in NCR Plus bubble composed of the capital region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
OCTA Research forecasts the number of daily COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila will decline to 2,800 in two weeks' time, David said.
"If it's less than 2,800, there are more people getting discharged from hospitals compared to admissions, then that would mean our hospitals would start to loosen up or has less strain on them," he said.
"We’re optimistic though we haven’t seen the guidelines...maybe the decrease will be slower, we’re hoping the downward trend will continue."
The group recommends that dine-in services remain barred as outside dining is preferred, David said. It also proposes that capacity of establishments be increased to up to 30 percent, he added.
"We still have to have social distancing in place. The easing of restrictions has to be done gradually," David said.
The COVID-19 bed capacity of St. Luke's Medical Center remains at a "critical" level, said its president and CEO Dr. Arturo dela Peña.
"As of now it’s still critical. It has gone down a little bit over the last 2 days. This is the effect of quarantine instituted 3 weeks ago. When you open gradually, it is expected for the number to increase also," he said.
Two of its hospitals have increased virus bed capacity to "more than 30 percent," that was required by government, Dela Peña added.
"When the surge came in, we have noticed the intensive care areas are more than 100 percent capacity. Meaning to say, there were more critical cases we’re admitting within the last 3 weeks," he said.
"There are days that it is beyond 100 percent but it doesn’t go down 90 percent occupancy rate."
Government must increase its COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and vaccination to address the surge, according to Dela Peña.
The public must be educated on coronavirus vaccine instead of making it mandatory, he added.
"I think it is a violation of one’s right. It might be unconstitutional but if we can find a way of educating the people about the benefits of vaccination," he said.
"We've been talking to a lot of our patients and many of them do not really understand. What is being magnified are complications and even anecdotal claims of death associated to vaccination, which is not true."
The Philippines on Wednesday tallied 6,895 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing its total to 1,020,495, of which 6.6 percent or 67,769 are active infections.
P680K halaga ng shabu nakumpiska sa Maynila
MAYNILA - Arestado ang 3 katao sa ikinasang buy-bust operation ng Sta. Cruz Police sa Barangay 327 sa Maynila Huwebes.
Nagbenta umano ng halagang P500 ng hiihinalang shabu ang target na si alyas Atong. Arestado rin ang dalawa niyang kasamahan na kapwa nakuhanan ng mga pakete ng hinihinalang shabu
Aabot sa 100 gramo ng hinihinalang shabu ang kumpiskado sa grupo na nasa P680,000 ang halaga.
Ayon sa mga pulis, miyembro ng Commando Gang ang target ng operasyon at dumarayo sila sa iba’t ibang mga lugar sa Maynila para magtulak ng ilegal na droga.
Pare-pareho silang kakasuhan ng paglabag sa Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/04/29/21/p680k-halaga-ng-shabu-nakumpiska-sa-maynila
Mga ilegal na shuttle service, pinaghuhuli ng I-ACT sa Batangas
Hindi bababa sa 16 shuttle vans ang hinuli at pina-impound ng Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (i-ACT) sa kanilang anti-colorum operations sa Batangas.
Nagtungo ang i-ACT sa Sto. Tomas Exit ng SLEX at Star Tollway kasama ang LTFRB, Coast Guard at Highway Patrol Group. Sa labas pa lang ng toll gate ay pinatigil at ininspeksiyon ang mga private van para sa requirement ng LTFRB sa mga shuttle service.
Ayon sa I-ACT galing Tanauan ang karamihan sa mga nahuling shuttle at bibiyahe pa-Laguna o sa Sto. Tomas.
Pangalawang beses na umanong tinungo ng i-ACT ang naturang lugar at pinaniniwalaan nilang marami pang shuttle service ang bumibiyahe nang kulang sa requirements. Kailangang kumpletong hawak ng driver ng shuttle ang kanilang contract of lease, passenger accident insurance, valid ID ng driver at may body markings ang van.
Magmumulta ng P200,000 ang may-ari ng van para mabawi ang sasakyan sa impounding area sa Pampanga.
- TeleRadyo 29 Abril 2021
Higit P8-M halaga ng hinihinalang dried marijuana nasabat sa Bulacan; 5 tiklo
Tinatayang nasa P8.16 milyong halaga ng hinihinalang dried marijuana ang nakuha ng PDEA at pulisya sa isang buy-bust operation sa lungsod ng Malolos, Bulacan nitong Miyerkoles.
Limang suspek ang inaresto, at ayon sa PDEA-Region 3 sila umano ang major supplier ng marijuana sa Bulacan at ilang bayan sa Pampanga.
Nakuha sa mga suspek ang humigit-kumulang 68 kilo ng dried marijuana leaf.
Inihahanda na ang isasampang kasong paglabag sa Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 laban sa 5 nahuling suspek. — Ulat ni Gracie Rutao